Happy Halloween

Our kitty cat enjoyed her first halloween this year. Her daddy had a great time getting her dressed and taking her trick or treating at both grandparents houses. They had free face painting at Wal-Mart so we took advantage of that. I think she is so precious!!!

"Do I look like a kitty cat, daddy?" John took this after we she had gotten her face painted at Wal-Mart.

"I'm ready to trick or treat!"

My precious little kitty cat looking so pitiful!

Showing off my belly.

Notice ... I even have a pink tail!

6-weeks old ...

Here are some recent pictures of Mary Audrey. She is continuing to grow and develop each day. She is up to 9 lbs 12 oz now and is starting to smile just a little. She is definately a momma's girl right now since she spends all day everyday with me. John and I have ventured out to dinner a couple of times by ourselves. The first time was a disaster ... I cried the whole time we were gone. I am getting better at being away from her now. I know I need that time by myself (and with John) to recharge my (and our) batteries!

Thank you for continuing to pray for us and enjoy the pictures.

I know Mary Audrey thinks I am crazy for taking this up close picture! She is tired of the camera being in her face.

How could you NOT love a little one sleeping so peacefully. She is just so loveable! :)

Mary Audrey had several Halloween onesies. So we started celebrating a little early. This is her ghost onesie. It did glow in the dark! Precious -- :)

John bought this onesie a while ago ... We loved it. Her onesie says "This IS my costume."

She is getting more dramatic each day. She even has halloween socks to go with her onesie! :)

She dislikes her swing so I have to "fake" her out by letting her go to sleep and then put her in swing to sleep. However, she is not strong enough to stay sitting up so she leans all the way over when she sleeps. It is so cute but sad at the same time.

The halloween junkies!

I'm so excited about going trick or treating!

A wild hair night ... :)

I'm Growing

Mary Audrey is officially 1-month old now. Time just flies by. Here are a few pictures various people have taken over the last month.

Mary Audrey sporting her "Butterbean" onesie.

Stretch big! She loves to lay and stretch out after napping.

Her dad's favorite outfit so far ... Her camo Major Cutie onesie.

Look how long I am!

I am learning to focus on objects and follow them with my eyes.

A quilt her great aunt ann made for Mary Audrey. It is most appropriate because Mary Audrey is named after my grandmother, Audrey, who would have made her a quilt if she were still living. Thank you Aunt Ann for the beautiful quilt made with lots of love! :)

Trying to take a nap in my crib ... didn't last very long. :(

She rolls on her side a lot so I think it won't be long before she can roll over on her stomach by herself.

Serious case of bed head! She still has most of her hair. It is thining out now but she still has bunches left. It still is the talk of everyone who meets her for the first time.

2-week check-up

Hello all ...

Wow! Two weeks travels fast! I think John and I have gotten through the tough times of having a newborn in the house. I have adjusted to living on lack of sleep which I think was the hardest thing for me to adjust to. We had a hiccup with breastfeeding but we have gotten that solved so things are much better now.

Mary Audrey had her 2-week drs appt on Monday and she did great. When we left the hospital, she weighed 8 lbs 15 oz and her weight was up to 9 lbs 5 oz. The dr was pleased and so were we. Her heart sounded strong and the dr was pleased with her color and hair. That is the most repeated comment ... the hair! Everyone can't believe how much hair she has. I pray every night that it stays and doesn't fall out.

John and I take Mary Audrey out every few days for a ride. We go to various places just to get out and see the world. I haven't figured out how to get a shower to get ready for the day and take care of her too. I guess that will come with time.

We are still waiting to hear from the daycares in town to see which one may have a spot for Mary Audrey in January. No luck yet but we still pray for God's will to be done in that area. I know He will provide the right daycare spot for us so I am just not going to worry about it.

I am enjoying being at home with Mary Audrey. It is nice not to really be on a schedule and do what we want when we want. John is back to work and is going full blast with 4-H right now. He will be traveling a lot in the month of October so family and friends will be helping out while he is away. He just can't stand to be away from her so I know it will be hard for him.

I guess that is all for now. Here are a few pictures we have taken over the last couple of weeks. Enjoy and come visit! :)

There is definately hair to hold a bow. Love it! :)

Look at those thighs! She is a very healthy baby.

Her favorite evening sleeping place ... with her daddy in the chair!

Welcome Mary Audrey Long!

Well she finally arrived in her own time. Here is a quick overview of last weekend's activities.

Friday, September 19: We made our 2nd trip to Labor & Delivery this morning. I was having contractions but they weren't strong enough to increase my dilation. They called them false labor pains. I thought ... well if this is false ... I am not sure if I want to feel the real ones! I was still 1.5 centimeters. So, they gave been a pain shot to help with my discomfort and it allowed me to get some sleep. And again, sent me home!

Saturday, September 20: Lots of laying around the house. John has taken care of me for the last two days and I couldn't appreciate it more. He cleaned the house a bit, washed clothes, got me whatever I needed, and helped me out of the chair so I could go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. He has been the best. Still no sleep happening and little contractions.

Sunday, September 21: Another day of laying around the house. We did get up and walk down the street a little today because the weather was so nice. As the day progressed I was having more pelvic pain but as the nurses/dr told me it was just Mary Audrey pushing down on my pelvic bone. As the night progressed, I couldn't get comfortable anywhere except for the glider in her room (and that was just for a few minutes). The pelvic pain got so strong we finally called Labor & Delivery and asked if we came in would they give me a shot for pain again just so I could sleep a little. So, we did go to the hospital around 4:00 a.m. and what do you know ... I was 5 centimeters dialated!

Monday, September 22: I couldn't believe I was dialated so much. The pain I was having was really contractions but they were just occuring in my lower pelvic area instead of my stomach area. I got my epidural, the dr broke my water and all was well. I even took a little nap ... boy did I need it. I stayed at 6-7 cm dilated for quite some time and then I felt a little discomfortable in my lower left side. Well ... I had a gotten a hot spot from the epidural which means that part of my body didn't get the medicine. So, I got to feel all of the contractions in that one area for the rest of the day. My goodness ... I'm believer in the saying that the pain you feel all goes away when you see your child for the first time. It is so true. As soon as I saw her I could have cared less about the state I was in. The birth was an amazing experience for both me and John. God is so great to give us a healthy child with 10 fingers and 10 toes. She is absolutely beautiful and we couldn't be more proud.

Mary Audrey's Birth Stats

Weight: 9 lbs 7 oz
Length: 20 3/4 inches
Time: 4:29 p.m.

Below are a few pictures from the birth. I will post new ones soon as I get them from my momma and others. Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts. John and I appreciate them so much.

She's here!

New (tired) Mommy & Mary Audrey

Dressing her to come home.

Her first bath and brushing that beautiful head of hair!

Daddy looking at his clean, pretty girl!

He is such a proud papa!

Mary Audrey when she came to our room for the first time.

Mommy holding her for the first time since she had to go to the nursery after birth.

There's that proud papa and his baby girl.

Getting to hold Mary Audrey after birth.

What a whopper! 9 lbs 6.7 ozs

Getting her first bath.

Washing that head full of hair!

Before delivery.
The monitor station.

And here are my fabulous contractions. John was taking pictures of everything!

My first time to hold Mary Audrey. Isn't she beautiful??

I love those cheeks! :)

Proud Uncle Dung (pronounced Young)

Sept 16 Updates ...

Well ... what a day it has been. At 10:00 a.m. I defended my dissertation and was fortunate to pass. I have just a few edits to make and I will be home free!!! YIPPEE!!! I can't believe that monkey is off of my back now.

This afternoon, we had a drs appt and we actually had a sonogram to check on Mary Audrey's approximate weight. John and I were surprised to learn that Mary Audrey weighs 8 and a half pounds. The dr said that was just a guestimate based on her measurements and could be up to 2 lbs off. John said he will believe it when he sees it. I was dilated 1.5 centimeters so we are making some progress. We scheduled an appt for Monday at 1:00 p.m. to see Dr. Lott and they will induce me on Tuesday or Wednesday if nothing has happened before then.

Oh, and I lost 3 lbs this week. Crazy! So I am still at the 13 lb mark for weight gain. As Dr. Cobb says, she must be feeding off of my reserves! Maybe I will be smaller than when I started! :)

Thank you for all of your prayers. John and I have felt them and appreciate them very much!