5 & 6 months!

Momma's been a little busy lately and sort of missed the 5 month post! Oh well, here's to combining two months into one post.

 

Here the breakdown from month 5:

-discovers feet and loves to eat them!

-Went to visit the pulmonologist (lung specialist...I didn't know at first either!) and had a chest x-ray to see why I was still coughing. Basically the result was: it could be a mixture of things (reflux, dairy, dog hair, asthma, etc... You just never really know with a baby, am I right?!?)

-Began giving you a "puffer" (inhaler) twice a day to control the coughing

-When I supplement with formula, you get a new type that is dairy free. It has helped your coughing quite a bit, yippee!

Lolly bought me a walker and I LOVE it!!!

I found my foot!

 

Here's the re-cap of month 6:

-Grammy & Papa came into town to give mommy & daddy a break. Seriously girl, you've started waking every hour at night. Growth spurt? Hungry? I don't know, but I was exhausted! They watched you overnight (and got no sleep!) while we went to a movie, dinner, and stayed the night at Hotel Zaza. I've never felt so rested! Ahh...

-You started baby puree's! Your first food was avocado's and you loved them! Since then, you've eaten applesauce, bananas, carrots, peas, and butternut squash. I've been making your baby food and having a lot of fun with it!

-You've learned how to sit in a high chair (such a life-saver!)

-We went to Abilene for Meredith's baby shower and you did fantastic!

-Your sleeping has really come full circle. Once we started the solid foods, you started sleeping 10-12 hours uninterrupted which makes for a very rested and happy momma. You know what they say, "Happy wife, happy life!" Ain't that the truth!!!

-Road trip to Austin with the one and only Lauryn Lewis. You slept most of the way there (and back!) and had such a great time seeing my longtime friend and college roommate, Stacy (along with her hubby and son Isaiah!) before they leave for Africa for 10 years! My oh my it was so, so, so hard saying good-bye to them.  

Lauryn, Stacy, and Me as we say good-by

Avocado's = yummy!

Praying for you East family! (where's Isaiah!?!?)

Swimming with the girls, and Dylan!

Meredith's baby shower!

I share this picture simply because it was taken on probably the worst "mommy" day I've had. I hadn't slept the night before (or before that probably, too) and you were not sleeping much either (you can totally see the bags under our eyes). I was so exhausted and even dropped you off for a few hours with Miss Stephanie so I could go home and nap. I went home, but was wide awake thinking about YOU for 2 hours. My mind was racing with all these "what-if's" and "Should I?" questions that I got no rest. It was one of those days where you live for when night time is. It's also one of those days that you won't forget. You look back and see how much God is teaching you in those moments. Teaching you to rely on Him. Rest in Him. Thank Him. Be still with Him. And thank Him some more.

 

We have much to be thankful for!!!

 

Love you Claire and can't believe you're already 6 months old!

 

 

4 Months, say what!?!

Dear Claire-
As I'm writing this, you are currently sleeping (praise the Lord!) and also sick with a viral infection (your third, poor baby!) This has been SUCH a fun month for your daddy and I because you are starting to move, move, MOVE! You love to roll from back to tummy (and tummy to back) and grab onto your feet. Sometimes you think it's fun to squeal all during your naptime with your new blankie (or 'lovey' as I call it). Because you are mobile now, you HATE to be swaddled, you've learned how to sleep in your crib unswaddled and are starting to put yourself to sleep. You still love your paci's but only really take them for naps and bedtime. You still nurse every 4 hours and get a small bottle of formula before bed. Daddy loves to bathe you even though you try and go underwater every.single.time. Your giggles and squeals make us smile constantly. We love you baby Claire!

                                            Sweet Meagan came to meet you!

                            Your aunt Stephanie and I took you to Wild About Harry's

                              My life long best friend, Caroline, met you for the first time
                                                    and brought you lots of cute clothes!

Precious Kim came from Alabama to meet you!

Our little family of 3 for the 4th of July holiday!

 

          Meredith came to meet you, she is pregnant with your soon to be hubby, baby L! :)

Happy 3 months!

Dear Claire,
I can't believe you are 3 months old already! This has been my favorite month so far, you are really turning into your own little person with quite the personality. You love to smile, giggle, and "talk" to us and your toys. So far your favorite daily activity (besides eating!) is laying on your play mat and rolling over to your side. You are SO close to rolling all the way over.

You're growing so much, especially those thighs of yours! Your favorite time of day is in the morning and when daddy gets home. Y'all usually sit on the couch and watch baseball together.

For the past 3 weeks you've had a cold & mild ear infection with a terrible cough / congestion. We've already been to the doctor 3 times for it. We do breathing treatments with you 3 times a day along with an antibiotic.

Lots have happened during this month including my first Mother's Day and finishing my last school year as a 1st grade teacher at Northwood Hills (for now anyway). I have chosen to stay at home with you and I couldn't be happier!

We are currently praying for your cold to go away and continuing to thank the Lord that you are such a healthy, beautiful little girl with no long term health concerns. We are amazed that the Lord has blessed us with you! Happy 3 months!

                                                                       Mother's Day!

                                                               Love yellow and white!

So happy!

2 Months!

 

 

 

Claire, I can't believe you are two months old already. You have changed so much in the past month and have really gone from being a "newborn" to becoming a baby. Our baby. It's been a hard month because I had to start back at work. You, however, are doing fine at daycare school. Daddy wakes you up, dresses you, and takes you there each morning because I have to get to work early. But I get the best part, picking you up. You have started smiling and giggling so much now. You recognize when people talk to you and respond with smiles and coos. The doctor says you will be rolling over any day now! You currently weigh 12lbs 10oz and are 24 inches long. Abby is still very protective (see picture below) and always lays in your room while we play.  We pray for you daily, specifically for your future husband and that you would have a deep love for the Lord and a desire to love and serve others. Here are some fun events that have happened this past month...

 

Our first road trip as a family. We drove from Dallas to Odessa (and back) for Cousin Heather's wedding. You did fantastic in the car!

 You got to meet Isaiah. His mommy and I were college roommates and best friends. They will be moving to Africa in September for 10 years.

Your usual self. Happy and swaddled.

Happy 2 months, love!

Happy 1 Month Baby Claire!

Words really can't express what the first month has been like with a newborn. My oh my how your life totally changes! So much for watching TV when you want to, run to the grocery store 'real quick' to pick up a few things, eat dinner without any interruptions, sleep though the night, feel rested, have the laundry completed or no dishes in the sink, and the list goes on... It's so hard to imagine that this is only a "season" in our lives and it will change all before we know it. But for now, I wouldn't change a thing...except the sleep thing!

Right now (and I say that because tomorrow it will probably change...) Claire takes 2 naps during the day, typically lasting 1-2 hours in length and sleeps from about 9pm-9am waking 2-3 times in between. She's a very good eater and already weighs 11lbs (her birth weight was 8lbs 4oz) and is 21.5 inches long (birth length was 20.5 inches). She has started smiling more often, especially once she's had a full feeding. She coos and makes squeaking noises when she's happy and curls her bottom lip when she's fussy and crying.

Here are some things Claire loves to do...

-lay on her changing table and look out the window

-get a bottle from her daddy each night

-go on walks in the evening

-get a lick kiss from her sister Abby on the head

-be rocked to sleep from her mom

-eat. eat. EAT!

-lay in her crib and stare at the polka dot pattern on her bumper pad

Here are a few more newborn pictures taken by the lovely photographer (and fellow co-worker) Mariel:

Meet Claire Elizabeth

Half a year has passed since my last blog post, but I felt the need to dip my feet into the blogging world again. A lot has happened in our little lives since my "19 week pregnancy post", the biggest being the arrival of our sweet little girl, Claire. It's funny because I had every intention of blogging during my pregnancy, but then felt it kind of silly to just keep posting pictures of my pregnant belly along with my pregnancy details. However, now that I have a daughter (did I really just say that?) So much is heavy on my heart to share! That will be for another post though I'm sure.


Today I just want to share with you our birth story along with a few pictures.

My scheduled due date was February 25th and I was just sure that my baby would come early. With me being a first grade teacher and up on my feet all day every day, I really thought that would kick-start my labor. However, Monday February 25th rolls around and still. no. baby. We had the option of inducing that day, but after praying about it over the weekend, we decided to hold off and see if Claire came naturally. But, due to the safety of the baby, we did have a scheduled induction for Friday, March 1 in case she had not come by then.

Anyway, Tuesday passed. Then Wednesday and Thursday. By this point I was walking our chocolate lab Abby for an hour a day and throwing in a few lunges here and there. Still no baby.

Thursday night comes and we anxiously get to bed early, knowing that within 24 hours we would get to meet our precious baby girl. We check in at the hospital Friday morning at 8am and I begin taking a medicene called 'Cytotec' to help start contractions (thankfully I was already dilated to a 2 and 90% effaced). After 2 hours of having the medicine, I had dilated to a 4 with very strong contractions. I quickly received an epidural (never once thought twice about NOT having one...I mean seriously people!?!?) After my painless epidural, I was on my way to a comfortable labor!

Things were pretty uneventful all afternoon, we had family visiting us in the room while nurses came in and out to check on me every hour or so. By about 7:00pm, I had dilated to a 8/9 and 100% effaced. Time to call the Doctor!

When my doctor came in around 7:20pm to break my water, there was meconium in it which was not a good sign. Because of this, it was time to get Claire out! I began pushing and my doctor realized that Claire was "sunny side up". After about 10 minutes of pushing, my doctor was able to turn Claire into the proper position. By this point, I had a low grade fever, which meant that Claire probably had one too. They ordered the NICU team to come in and be on stand-by just in case.

As I was pushing, my doctor realized that my placenta had ruptured so she decided to use forceps to get Claire out quickly! Claire was born at 7:59pm weighing 8lbs 4oz and 20.5 inches long! She was perfectly healthy and didn't inhale to much of the meconium. The doctors were able to clean her all up so Josh could hold her.

However, my uterus wouldn't contract and I began hemorrhaging...losing over 2 pints of blood and almost in need of a blood transfusion. Praise the Lord I didn't have to have one! About an hour later, I was in a much better state and was able to hold my baby girl for the first time. It's the most unreal feeling, and unless you're a parent, there's no way to fully understand what that moment is like.

Here are a few pictures of Claire Elizabeth Barnes

Just born!

Sleeping soundly!

Going home! (please don't let this picture fool you, Josh had to tell me to stop crying and try and smile. I was an emotional wreck and in the most pain I've ever felt...so glad that's over with lol)

So happy and content

Our new family of three!

Thank you for reading about our story. Hoping to have another new post soon!

 

18 / 19 weeks!

I guess it's been right at a month since my last post! I really have been meaning to post more often, but I feel as though not much has changed and I hate taking/posting pictures of myself haha. But it's probably that time again, so here goes...

I took these pictures last week (when I was 18.5 weeks pregnant) to send to my mom, so I thought I would go ahead and use them for my blog...

How far along? 19 weeks, 3 days
Total weight gain: 5-6lbs, yay! I've never been this happy about gaining weight!
Maternity clothes? Not quite; however, I am using a rubberband like crazy and the "belly band" at times too!
Sleep: Yes! Please! Now! That's all I care to do. However, I am getting some strange dreams! The other night I woke Josh up yelling "There's a car in our bedroom and it's about to run me over!" Josh replied "I'm sorry" then back to sleep he went haha.
Miss anything? I never drank much, maybe the occasional glass of wine at dinner or out at a nice restaurant, but since school has started, I've really been craving a cold glass of wine when I get home!
Movement: none yet. At my 12 week appt, my doctor said I have an "anterior placenta" (sorry for the TMI) which means that the placenta is between my skin and the baby, acting like a mattress. So, it might be a little harder / longer to feel the baby move.
Food cravings: ROSA's!!! The sad thing is, I haven't had Rosa's since March. I plan to break that cycle October 5th when I head to Abilene!!! Can.not.wait! Oh, and I love the cherry limeades from BRAUMS! Yum!
Anything that makes you queasy? Brushing my teeth, still!
Gender: don't know until my 21 week Oct. 17th!
Looking forward to: ROSA's.....and of course finding out the sex of the baby and starting to decorate a nursery!