Day 12-The Rollover

I just love these two pictures! I took Palmer to Andy's work yesterday dressed in his cute golfer outfit. He is such a stud :). This morning he decided he didnt want to take a nap but instead wanted to sit on the couch and watch TV. Believe me when I say he WANTED to sit on the couch. I tried his bouncy seat, swing, pack and play, and crib and nothing was satisfiying him. He's been so active lately! I dont mind though as long as it wears him out for the night time!

I have tried to upload a video of our little muffin ROLLING OVER, but I cant seem to get blogger to cooperate. When he was 12 days old, Palmer rolled over for the first time from belly to back. Andy and I were getting dinner ready and Andy put Palmer in his pack and play on his belly. He looked up and said, "He just rolled over!". I didnt believe him and Palmer wouldnt do it again. However, the next day, I was getting my lunch ready and I had just laid Palmer on his belly in his pack and play when I looked back over and he was on his back. I grabbed the camera and put him back on his belly. I waited a second and he rolled over...this time I caught it on video! If I get it to work, I'll post it on here. What a little over-achiever!

Aunt Lisa (my old college roomie) came to visit today. We were so happy to spend some time with her and she even gave Palmer a manicure. I'm too afraid of cutting his little fingers so I havent tried the clippers yet. Lisa, the veteran mommy, jumped right in and got the job done. Thanks Lis!

Pictures Galore

Here are some random pictures of Palmer. He LOVED his first bath and each one thereafter. They seem to calm and relax him.

We are learning more and more about our little guy's personality as it begins to develop. He is such a calm baby, but definitely a boy who loves his food. He is wearing me out to the point of tears when it comes to breast feeding. I'm trying to stick with it, but I may not be able to keep up. We already have to supplement with formula for the vitamin D benefits, and because I am just in pain! I'm trying to stay relaxed and know that I'm doing my best and if I'm stressing out so much then it is not worth it. We'll see how long I can make it :).

Besides getting a little stir crazy now and then, I love being home with our son and my days just fly by as I take care of him and the household chores. My maternity leave ends after the holidays...which is coming too fast! I cant believe Palmer is already 2 weeks old! Ahh!

Thank you to everyone for the thoughts and prayers...and gifts! What an amazing ride this has been already!

Welcome Palmer Mitchell Hahn

So in love with our little man!

Labor and Delivery

I've been meaning to hop on here and get some updates of our little one's arrival in the blogosphere. He's napping now, so I'll give it my best.

Last Monday, October 26th, I had a routine doctor's appointment for my 39 week check up. The doctor stripped my membranes again and stretched me to 3 cm and I was about 75% effaced. The doctor said he would call the hospital to get a date for inducing me that week, if I didnt go on my own. Andy and I were so excited to hear that one way or another, we would have a baby within the week! I think it was exactly what I needed...a light at the end of the tunnel!

I called the doctor twice on Monday to see if they had a date set for induction, but I never got a solid response, just that they were working on it. I went to bed Monday so excited and anxious. I slept in a little on Tuesday and stayed busy around the house. When I finally checked my phone at about 11:15am or so, there was a message from the doctor telling me to call them as they had set a date and time for my induction. I called right away and was told they wanted me at the hospital THAT NIGHT! I was to check in at 6:00pm! I hung up the phone and told Andy the news. Anxiety, nerves, excitement, happiness...all hit at once.

We went to the hospital that Tuesday evening, October 27th, to start a drug called Cytotech. This made my contractions come every minute to a minute and a half all night long. It was miserable. I didnt get any sleep and was in a lot of pain for over 9 hours. By 6:00am on Wednesday, I was defeated, ready to talk pain meds, but scared to deviate from my initial plan of a natural birth. The nurse gave me the pros and cons of Nubane and I decided to give it a try to buy me some time to decide if I wanted to take the epidural. She told me Nubane would give me a couple of hours to get some rest and decide, but for me, it only gave me 45 minutes. I was done...exhausted beyond belief and ready for some help.

The doctor came in to do the epidural and I knew what the procedure entailed so I wasnt too scared. My blood pressure dropped really fast though so they had to check the dosage, push some extra drug to regulate me and lay me down with my feet elevated. Let the scares begin! Once the dosage was right and everything was in place, I felt pretty good. I was able to relax, accept some visitors and let labor progress more easily. They began the Pitocin at this point to kick labor into high gear.

About mid-day the epidural wasnt working anymore and I was in extreme pain. Andy called on our nurse and the doctor came in to increase the dosage in my epidural. Long story short, the dose was too high. I went numb up to my collar bone, felt like I couldnt breathe, couldnt move at all from my ribs down and ended up vomiting multiple times. They pushed Finnergan, an antinausea drug to help the vomiting and from that point on, I was a zombie. I dont remember a ton after that and have had to rely on Andy to put the pieces together for me.

Luckily, I remember the actual delivery part. I think adrenaline must have kicked in, praise the Lord. They had shut my epidural off prior to delivery, as it just wasnt working out, so I could feel the contractions and knew when to push on my own. I was actually glad for that, as I was still able to do a vaginal birth, which was the ultimate plan. I lost a lot of blood and had a rough and scary delivery, but I'm so thankful for our baby boy and would endure it all over again if I had to.

Palmer Mitchell Hahn came into the world on October 28, 2009 at 8:04pm, weighing in at 8 lbs 4 oz, 21 1/4 inches long.

The Little Big One

I had an ultrasound yesterday where it was estimated that the baby is 8 pounds and 6 ounces...looking more like a 40 week 5 day baby than the 38 week baby that the calendar predicts.

I've spent my first week of maternity leave trying to naturally induce labor. Walking, eating spicey foods, cleaning, and all the other unmentionables...I've done them all! This baby seems to be comfortable where it is. I'm so anxious and excited to meet him/her that I can hardly stand it. I really dont want to be induced at the hospital as I have heard how much more painful and abrupt labor is with Pitocin. I'll keep trying my methods and pray that this baby comes before the doctor insists on hitting eject :).

Here's the latest ultrasound!

Tick-Tock

Well, I'm 36 weeks down with just a few more to go. Time is flying, but also dragging on. I am so anxious for this baby to begin its arrival. I've started to really think through the actual delivery process and I'm getting nervous about that part. It'll all be well worth it once Baby Hahn finally arrives!

Here are some pictures of my 36 week belly:

As a belated post, my work girls threw me a shower a couple of weeks ago and I never put up the pictures. Take a look at some of the fun I had :). The girls started a pool on when Baby Hahn would make his/her big debut. They based their predictions on the size of the baby, thus the October 18th due date they hovered around. You'll also see a fabulous picture of me scarfing down a piece of pizza. My boss, Sarah, brought me a couple of slices from one of my favorite pizza places on the Circle. I dont eat "girly food" like chicken salad and veggies, so Sarah brought me pizza so I wouldnt starve. Oh how they know me well!

34 or 36...Hmmm...

I had my 34 week check up this morning. The doctor reviewed the ultrasound I had last week and told me the baby is still measuring a little over 2 weeks ahead of schedule, looking more like 36 weeks. The ultrasound tech put my due date at October 18th, but my doctor said he's not going to change my due date. So, I'm working with a window of 2 weeks here. Not good for a planner like me! The doc thinks/says I am just growing a big baby...duh, tell me something I dont know! Either way, the countdown is on: one month...and then some :).

I'll get some new pics up here soon.

Almost 32 weeks!

Here's my 31+ week belly shot. I'm just shy of the 32 week mark and this baby does NOT need any help in the weekly countdown :).

Baby's Room

Here are some pictures of the baby's room in progress. The bedding we have picked out is a jungle theme (as you can tell by the valence I hung above one of the windows). My mom looked at the bedding and turned the baby's room into the cutest little jungle fantasy. I am so amazed at her talent!! I got the crafty gene but not the artistic and downright talented one.

My sisters are having a shower for us next weekend, so I'm sure I'll have lots of cute stuff to add to the room after that. I love seeing all this baby stuff start coming into the house and cant wait to welcome our little one home. I'm just about 32 weeks...and counting!

Baby Overachiever

I went in for my 28 week check up this past Monday, only to discover I measured 31 weeks. Whoopsy. Perhaps my math IS off! My doctor sent me in for an ultrasound on Tuesday to check the baby's measurements and we do have an overachiever on our hands here. The baby weighed in at 3 pounds 2 ounces, 30 weeks and 2 days old. I'm not sure what that means as far as my delivery goes, but I'm excited to know this baby may come early on its own!

Here are some pictures:

The Third Trimester!

Here's a picture of my 27 week belly. I cant believe I am in the third trimester already! It is so crazy how fast time is flying now. My back pain is crippling by late afternoon and I usually end my work day on the couch with a heating pad on my back, trying to balance my laptop.

I had a scary day last week when the doctor ordered me to the hospital for fetal monitoring. With the back pain and some follow up questions, the doc was concerned about my and the baby's kidneys, as well as preterm labor (I have been having some relatively severe Braxton-Hicks contractions). Our shy/stubborn baby lightened the mood by kicking the monitors and hiding from the heart beat reading. It was really funny. I am so amused by this child already!

Everything turned out ok with the tests. Baby seems to be thriving and I am in good health. I have a regular check up next Wednesday and will let you all know about the baby's pending arrival...whether we are looking at earlier in October or sticking with November 1st. Either way, just few short months more!!

Baby Malakai Kinsey

My amazing college roommate (one of them!) traveled back to the midwest from Atlanta this past weekend. I drove out to Illinois to see her and her handsome baby boy. I had seen a lot of pictures of Malakai but they did not do him justice! Malakai is gorgeous! He was such a good baby, too! He ate and slept nearly all day. He didnt even mind that we went on an impromptu shopping trip for maternity clothes and baby shoes. What a sport!

The Nursery Furniture

So, the nursery furniture DID get put together last week. The room is in disarray since my mom is still finishing the mural on the wall, but here are some pictures of the guys putting the baby's crib and hutch together. The funniest part was, that they got the crib all put together in the living room while mom painted in the nursery. When it was totally done, they went to carry it down the hall and into the room and it wouldnt fit through the doorway! Oopsy! They had to take it back to the living room to disassemble and reassemble in the baby's room. The second time around went so much faster than the first! Ha! Here you see Michael (my brother), Andy and my dad getting to work!

On another note, I went to the doctor today for my 24 week check up. The baby kicked the doppler as usual, but the heartbeat sounded great. Mid 140s. The only change is that my fundal height was measuring at 27 weeks, instead of the 24 that I am actually in. So, either my math is off, which isnt likely, or I am carrying a big baby. The doctor said if I am measuring large next month that he will order another ultrasound to check the baby's size and set a new due date. He began to plant the seed of a C-section or being induced. I'll take the Pit drip first before we schedule a C.

Symptoms as of late are almost null and void, the only major pregnancy symptom is terrible back pain. I'm taking Tylenol and putting heat on it, but there's not much else I can do. Feeling the baby stirring around in there makes it all worth it :).

Finally, a BELLY!

Wow. When I look at these pictures I cant believe I have a belly! For so long, when I felt so awful, all I wanted was to be showing so that people would at least be able to see why I felt so crummy. Now, people are actually noticing that I am expecting a baby. I see strangers looking at my belly and some ask when I am due. I tell them I am already 5 months and most are shocked that I'm already this far along. I was getting a complex for awhile, thinking I wasn't gaining enough weight, but the doctor isn't showing any concern, so I'm not either.

My dad, brother, and Andy are all over at our house right now, putting together the baby's crib! I'll post pictures once it is all put together. The hutch might be assembled tonight too, if I can convince the help to keep going. Ha! We'll see.

Here's my 23 week belly shot. I'm feeling great. I've had a lot of back pain, heartburn, and breathing is becoming a challenge when I slouch too much. The baby has been so fun though. I sit in my office and just laugh because the baby kicks all the time. It is such an indescribable feeling!

21 weeks and tired!

Here's a picture of my 21 week belly. This has been such a fun week already. The baby has been kicking a ton, to the point where you can see the kicks on the outside of my belly! Andy has been able to feel the baby moving really easily, and he even got kicked in the head last night when I was holding his head in my lap on the couch. It was funny!

My mom came over last week to start the mural in the baby's room. It is only at the sketching stage, but it already looks amazing! I cant wait for her to get the paint on the wall. The hutch/changing table arrived last week, but we havent set it up in the room yet. I'm trying to give mom as blank of a canvas as possible. I am so anxious for the crib to get delivered so we can really start setting up the nursery. I was just telling Andy we need to get a date on the calendar to go register for the baby stuff! I cant believe we are a week away from July already!!

I have really wanted chocolate this week. My sweet tooth seems to have resurfaced, but I am trying to watch my sugars, as I keep hearing how miserable the gestational diabetes test is. I still dont want lunch meat at all, but am getting back into cooking since smells dont bother me as much anymore.

Here's the 21 week belly. Please remember the title of this post...TIRED! I am so exhausted.

20 Week Progress

Here's my belly shot at 20 weeks. Finally, it's becoming clear that I am not just pudgy but do in fact have a little baby in my belly! I'm still in regular pants for the most part, but none are buttoning and few are zipping...thank the Lord for Belly Bands! I feel a shopping trip approaching!

I have really wanted carbs lately...still pizza and mexican, but cereal and breads of any kind are the latest cravings. Also, I have been dying for donuts in the mornings! I havent partaken, but I wake up thinking of Long's Bakery chocolate covered yeast donuts. Yum!

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow where I will learn of the ultrasound results, if everything is on track, and weigh in. I'll let you all know how that goes.

Baby Hahn at 19 weeks and 3 days

We just got back from our ultrasound appointment! Baby Hahn was pretty mellow this time. I made sure to say good morning to the ultrasound tech and then immediately followed that by, "We do NOT want to know the sex of the baby, so please dont tell us." She was very good at referring to our little one as "the baby" when talking us through the images, but there was one time she dropped a male pronoun. Hmmm...was that a slip or just the use of the generic?!



Andy's voting that the baby is a boy at this point, whereas I have thought the whole time that we are going to have a girl.



The ultrasound tech said the baby is measuring at 19 weeks and 3 days, right on par with my math, so we are back to a due date of Halloween, October 31, 2009!! This will be the official due date from this point forward, though I read somewhere that only 5% of women actually deliver on the official due date. Time will tell!



Cravings are still pizza and mexican these days with exhaustion and acid reflux being my main symptoms. I feel pretty great though! The dogs are getting used to me coming straight home and napping on the couch with them for an hour. No complaints here!


Take a look at Baby Hahn at 19 weeks and 3 days:


This first shot is a profile picture of the face, forehead at the top left, with the little eye and cheek to follow toward the right.

The second set of pictures is another profile picture followed by a great shot of the spine.


Absolutely in love with this baby already!