One of Those Days

Some days with a new baby you feel a little out of control. With little sleep and weather too cold to play outside it can sometimes make you a little crazy! Hannah and I have had a few moments like this the past week!

My Big Helper

Hannah has been a big help since she became a big sister. Sometimes her "help" is more distracting and more work for me, but the other night she folded all of the towels in the laundry basket!

It was very helpful and cute to watch her learn this new skill. She was so proud of herself once all of the towels were folded, and so was I!!

Bath Time

Hannah was dying to help us give Grace a bath! We had given her a couple of baths since being home, but they were all when Hannah was sleeping. She was excited to help, until the crying started. After that she was a little reluctant to help and once Grace peed all over Chad's hand Hannah was done! She didn't want anything to do with helping until Grace had a diaper on and was wrapped up in a warm towel.

The Past 2 Weeks

I can not believe that our little baby is two weeks old! This has been a very busy, but uneventful two weeks. We are all adjusting to living as a family of four. The past two weeks has been full of hugs and kisses (My sister and niece came for a weekend after Thanksgiving. Thanks to Kate for entertaining Hannah and thanks to Mandy for keeping me sane!), pictures, feedings (no pictures of that...you're welcome!), and of course diaper changes!

We are adjusting well and loving life. Grace is a really sweet and easy baby. She rarely cries and will sleep for 4-5 hour stints on most nights. She really is a sweet addition to our family!

Grace's Birth Story

Here is just a quick recap of the birth of Grace. We got a call from the hospital at 5:30am on Sunday, November 22, 2009. They told us to be at the hospital by 7:30 to start the induction. We arrived right on time.

They got me all set up with an I.V. and checked me. I was dilated to a 3. The doctor said that if they weren't inducing me that morning I would have most likely gone into labor on my own that night.

The Pitocin started at 8:00am and then the doctor came in and broke my water. I started having strong contractions really fast. I requested the epidural around 10:000am. They had a difficult time getting it in. The anesthesiologist said that I had scar tissue from my chemo treatments that I got in my spine. He was worried about how well the drugs were going to work. It seemed to work well in my legs, but I was still feeling a TON of pressure.

They checked me around 11:15 and I was a 7. I was VERY uncomfortable and so the nurse asked the anesthesiologist to come in and give me some more medicine. Soon after I felt like I really needed to push. The nurse checked me again and said, "Oh. Yes you are...she is right there."

She called the doctor and after 3 short pushes little Grace made her appearance right at 12pm on the dot! It was a very fast and smooth labor. Our doctor and the nurses were so great. We were so happy that she was here and healthy.

Grace Lyn Hurd

She's here!! She was born Sunday @ 12p.m. on the dot! We are so happy that baby Grace made it here happy and healthy! We are both doing well. I will have to write more later about the birth because I can not sit on this hard chair for too long! I just wanted to get the pictures on here because I know some people (specifically my mom) are dying to see some pictures of this little cutie!

Right after birth. She is a tiny little one! 6 lbs and 6 oz. 20 inches long. Lots of dark hair!After her bath. Isn't that bink funny!?! It is almost the size of her head!Going home. I was hoping to go home on Monday, but they wanted us to stay one more night to monitor Grace. She is so ity bity in that huge carseat.Home at last! I have to tell you Hannah is one happy and excited big sister! I think that I am going to have a little mom on my hands! She is a great helper! The bottom right picture makes me laugh. She fell asleep covering her eyes!

Well, there she is! She is such a sweet little one! I will make an attempt to write more about the birth tomorrow and some more cute pictures!

Our Little Visitor

We have had a little visitor at our house this past week. I'll let Hannah tell you about him.

I think this is such a fun activity! I remember in 2nd grade we had a similar thing...it was a Corduroy Bear. We would take turns having him at our house and writing about our adventures together. I bet that Duso is someone Hannah will remember for years to come too!