Home Photo Session

Last September, I took maternity photos for my friend Serena. She asked if she could return the favor and so I asked her to take Dakota's newborn portraits.

Serena is a talented and a patient photographer, I'm blessed to have her as a friend. Here is a sneak peak of the photo shoot. As soon as I get the photos I'll post them here.

When we finally made it home from NICU, I took Cheyenne's newborn portraits, but this time around it was nice to have someone else do them. I will have plenty of opportunities to take pictures of Dakota,  in the future.

Here is a snapshot of one of Cheyenne's Newborn Portraits. Looks like Dakota...I KNOW!

Serena came to my house and it took her about 2 and half hours to take the photographs. Homegirl, has patience, I'm telling you....

As much as Dakota sleeps, she was awake for at least an hour of the photo session. Needless to say, she napped good after it was all said and done.

Serena making my girl look glamourous.

Cheyenne was standing off to the side begging to use my camera. Somebody get this girl her own DSLR. Just kidding!

Whew, that's enough excitement for me, for one day. Goodnight.

The Perfect Fathers Day Gift

This year, I got off the hook, I didn't have to buy Trey a fathers day gift because I gave birth to his daughter. Which is the best gift of all...don't you think? His only fathers day request was that I make him Hamburger Helper. I stopped making that mush, like 4 or 5 years ago, but every now and then Trey will either ask me to make it for him or he'll make it himself. A little here, a little there, never hurt anybody.

So, a huge happy fathers day to Trey.
He used a weeks worth of vacation time to stay at home with me this week. He's been so helpful and he's a pro at changing diapers.

This morning, while I was working on lunch, Trey and Cheyenne went grocery shopping. Cheyenne really likes the double seater cart. Here before too long Dakota will be big enough to ride beside her.

This afternoon, while Dakota was napping, I got out of the house and went shopping at Sam's Club. It felt great to be driving and walking around. It's hard to believe the last time I was out and about by myself other than today, was last week, when I walked to Wal-Mart to get pineapple.

Do you guys FaceTime? We do. Here's is Dakota's first FaceTime chat. All she had to say was hiccup.

Cheyenne is thinking: This is like looking in a mirror...

I'm not complaining at all, but this baby girl sleeps and sleeps and when she's not sleeping, she's yawning.
Last night, was a fantastic. This was her feeding/changing schedule:
9:50 pm
12:00 am
5:05 am
9:00 am
Dakota, I'm totally loving your schedule. Keep it up! 

I Approve This Schedule

Since, I had the most uncomfortable and at times painful pregnancy. I think Dakota is making up for it, by giving me the gift of rest.

Last night, this was her feeding + changing  schedule: 

10:00 pm 

2:05 am
6:04 am
4 hour stretches, I'm on board with that....

We all have that special birthmark or awkward body detail. Well, Dakota has 3 ear tags on her right ear. Two of them are obvious and the third is quite small. It's something that she got from Trey's gene pool. Trey also has one, but it's a tiny stub. 

Unless you are family, a close friend, or a long time follower of this blog -- I bet you didn't know, Cheyenne also has one. Her tag, is less noticeable. We will see an ear surgeon to get Dakota's tags removed, since hers stick out. From what the doctor told me, it's a quick and pain-free surgery. We have to wait until she receives her 2 month old shots and then we'll go in for an ear consultation.

Do you have an unusual body detail, like an ear tag or birthmark? 

Dakota's First Bath (at home)

Today, is the first day, I didn't have a chance to nap during the day. I hope I'm not a wreck tonight because of that. I've been visiting with company, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Dakota.  

Here are pictures from Dakota's first bath. At first she loved it, but then she got cold and drank soapy water --- that really ticked her off.

Cheyenne helped me sprinkle Dakota with water.

Our Hospital Stay & Our First Night at Home

Here are the last bit of photos from our hospital stay. This morning, Dakota had her first, in-office, doctors appointment. After the appointment, the doctor asked us to take Dakota to Cook Children's to get blood work done. A few hours later, the results came back and the test showed her jaundice levels are dropping, taking her out of the high risk zone. Tomorrow, we go back for one more test, but we're hoping that's it.

Our First Night At Home
Last night, Dakota slept in the pack-in play, next to my bed. She'd wake every 3 hours to feed. She had one stretch of 4 hours. I know Trey doesn't mind me moving around and feedings all through the night, especially, since Dakota hasn't been fussy, but I think tonight I'm going to move to the guest room.

We Made it Home

We are finally home!!!! We were discharged at 10:30 am this morning.

We were hoping to leave the hospital yesterday, but we had to stick around to see if Dakota's jaundice level was going to spike. This morning, the results showed she was not in a danger zone, but as you can see in these pictures, she does have a yellowish tint. Tomorrow, we have to follow-up with her pediatrician.

Can we talk about what no one is mentioning????....I gave birth to an 8 lb 7 oz baby!!!!! That's huge for my frame. This explains so much, the soreness and all. Dakota is so sturdy compared to when Cheyenne was born. Cheyenne was a frail 6 pounder. Speaking of Cheyenne. Dakota looks just like her, don't you think? Here is Dakota....

And this is Cheyenne, 2008

Another newborn picture of Cheyenne

Features can change a lot over the course of a year, so we'll see if we have another Cheyenne running around here. Trey's genes may win this battle, again.

She is all her own, special kind of beauty. I love her and I'm so glad we are at home, getting to know each other.

We are both doing great. I'm recovering much faster than I expected. Yesterday, I walked a little with Dakota on the nursery floor and I don't think I'll have to fill my pain medication. However, I am starting to get a nasty headache, I think it's a side effect from the epidural. I'm taking Tylenol for that. The only thing that's really bothering me, is my uterus cramping, while I feed Dakota. The pain should soften in the next week, I hope.

Hospital Stay
(back track)
Last night, at 10:30 pm I called for the nursery nurse and she took Dakota out of my room and kept her, while I rested. Every 2 and half to 3 hours a nurse would bring her back to me, so I could feed her. I woke up at 5:30 am and felt rested. When Cheyenne was born, I didn't do this, I kept her in the room with me all night long. I also didn't get much rest.

I'm so glad I got over feeling guilty about sending Dakota to the nursery. She was fine. I was fine and now I'm at home and I can function and I'm not doing this....every 5 seconds.

Dakota's Labor & Delivery Timeline

Sunday, June 10th
6:30 am: Woke up thinking, I'm forever pregnant!

2:00 pm: I walked a little over a mile, to the supermarket and bought pineapple.

3:00 pm: I ate half of the pineapple even though I was still full from lunch.

4:23 pm: This is the exact time my contractions started. I know because I kept a contraction log. This first one, was only 40 seconds. Did the pineapple induce my labor? I don't know....

7:00 - 11 pm: I watched Madagascar and then Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Throughout the night, my contractions kept getting longer and stronger.

Monday, June 11th
12:00 am: I took a shower and the contractions seemed to slow down.

12:30 - 4:00 am: I'm assuming I slept, through contractions.

4:05 am: Trey heard me moaning while I was sleeping and he woke me up and asked: "Are you having a contraction, right now?" I had no idea, until he woke me.

4:30 am STRONG CONTRACTIONS BEGIN. That's when we decide it's time to go to the hospital.

5:30 We took Chey over to Krista's house. By 6 am I was in a hospital room.

7:00 am: The doctor approves me to be officially admitted. By this time, I've been in serious labor for almost 3 hours. I'm in pain! At one point, I tell Trey not to talk, while I have contractions. Sorry, but I needed silence to cope with the pain. 
 
9:00 am: Somewhere around this time the anesthesiologist AKA my hero arrived. I got the relief I needed, an EPIDURAL. Hallelujah, Church Bells, Choir Sings, Doves Fly, All is Right in the World!  I go from feeling like death to, smiling from ear to ear. I was so relaxed, I somehow managed to cat nap. I look like I got ran over by a train, but I'm telling you, I felt GOOOOD!!!!!!

11:30 am I felt a lot of lower pressure. I paged the nurse and told her, "I feel like I need to push." She examined me and confirmed Dakota was ready, but we had to wait for the doctor. We waited and waited.

12:15 pm: My doctor showed up. She had to prep a few things, but before I knew it, I was pushing. I don't know exactly how many times I pushed, but it was only a few.

12:29 pm: Dakota Sky was born.

The Day Dakota Was Born

Dakota Sky was born today, June 11th at 12:29 pm. She weighs 8 lbs 7 ozs and is 22 inches long.

The labor and delivery went much fast than I expected. I arrived at the hospital at 5:50 am, about an hour later I was officially admitted and from that point the time flew by. More pictures to come, but here is Dakota's blog debut!!!!

Ready for a Sister

Someone is excited about being a big sister. She told me all about it during playtime. 
Cheyenne wanted to take the camera...
 She took this photo, not bad.
And then she made me hold up her baby like Lion King
PS. I Think today is the day!

Myth or Fact: Natural Ways to Induce Labor

You guys, I've gone two days, past my due date. Will I be forever pregnant?????
I'm starting to get desperate. There are a few myths floating out there on how to naturally induce labor. Some women swear by them, but I'm under the impression, that unless your body is ready for labor, these things may not be effective, BUTTTTTT if they are safe, I say why not give it a shot -- ESPECIALLY if you are past due.

I've heard, one way to naturally induce labor is to eat fresh pineapple. Mmmm. Done!

Here are a few more that I've heard helps to naturally induce labor:
1. Walking - YES! I've walked 8 miles in the last few days. I'm thankful I live close to a supermarket. Earlier today, instead of driving to buy the pineapple, I walked there and back.
2. Sex - sperm contains prostaglandins, which can ripen the cervix. No need to paint a picture for you folks. Annnnnnd that's the extent that I will talk about that....moving ON! 
3. Raspberry Leaf Tea: I don't know enough about this one.
4. Castor Oil - Something about lots of pooping and diarehhea - (that sounds like fun. NOT.)
5. Nipple Stimulation - Why would a woman want to do this, especially knowing that in a few hours you could be nursing a newborn? And if you know anything about nursing, you know it can be painful. I wouldn't want to willingly aggravate my skin like that...
6. Sweeping the Membrane - My doctor did this last week and obviously my body was not ready for labor. I had one hour of serious contractions, but after that they fizzled.
7. Eating Extra Spicy Food: NO THANK YOU. I don't want to deal with heartburn.

There are a few more, but those seem to be some of the common ones, I always hear about. So, what do you think about all of this????

I'll leave you with a picture of Trey. The other weekend we went shopping at the Cowboys Pro Shop. We are well stocked for football season, but I guess he wanted more clothes. Today, he got two more items. He spoils himself rotten.

40 Weeks Pregnancy Snapshot

It's one day past my due date....AND ladies and gentlemen, I'm still pregnant, with no signs of going into labor anytime soon.

The only benefit, if any, is all the extra sleep I'm getting. However, I'm doing my part to try to help mother nature speed things along. Today, I walked 5 miles, which is equivalent to a half marathon, in pregnancy world. If I could, I would run a half marathon -- right now. Earlier, I went to the mall, cleaned the house, and did several loads of laundry. As of now, I'm really thinking this baby will wait it out and I will be induced on Friday, the 15th.

Sleep
I've been sleeping so good, even I'm shocked. My body must know what's coming up, sleepless nights and all and it's giving me a break --- for now.

Comfort Level
I'm comfortable while I sleep, but getting around day to day, especially getting in and out of the car is a pain, literally. Sometimes just standing up, I can get dizzy or winded.

Food
Lately, every meal I eat, I feel like it's my last meal before I'm about to go into labor, so I usually eat big. Perhaps, I should stop doing that....
As far as cravings, I'm still craving warm cookies. Chocolate Chip!

Nice angle Trey....
This shirt, is actually a dress, but since my belly is so big, it looks like a mini-dress. That explains why I'm wearing pants.

My Week in Photos

Dakota didn't get the memo, that today is her due date. She's slow cooking and apparently she's in no rush to come out. Dang, my womb must be like a hot spot condo or something. Maybe, it's better than beachfront property.

Well, I'm so glad I didn't invest my hopes in what my doctor predicted, "I think you will deliver as early as 10 days before your due date." Yeah, right.

Here is a text convo between Trey and I.  FYI: C 30 = a 30 second contraction.

Perhaps, I mentioned taking it easy and not exercising, this week. You could say I'm getting impatient, so I walked 2 miles last night, hoping to naturally induce Dakota out of my body. It wasn't all sweat and hard work --- to balance things out, afterwards, I immediately drove to the store and bought cookies.

While Trey and I have been working, Cheyenne has been vacationing in Abilene. I'm so jealous! I also miss her, a lot!


I finally got around to trying the Keurig herbal tea sample. I wouldn't recommend it, but for free, I'd drink it all day. By the way, if you have a Keurig Vue, bed bath and beyond has the mother load of Vue Cups.

A few weeks ago, I used a promo code and order cups directly from Keurig's site. I'm not impressed with the mocha, I prefer the vanilla latte.

Do you eat fish? I do, but it's not my first option. Earlier in the week, I put off grocery shopping until there was nothing left to eat except for fish. Now, that we're going into the weekend, I will put off grocery shopping again. Who knows when this baby will come and I don't want my produce to spoil.

What are your plans for the weekend?
Me, ohhhhh I plan on having a baby. If I'm not in labor, I think Trey and I may try to go out on a date tonight. That is, if he doesn't have to work late. The last two nights he has been working around the clock. All the overtime will be good, but he is beyond exhausted.