5 Months Old

I'm better with Facebook! :)

Noel sat up at 4 months old!!! Good girl little darling! Of course, she hasn't done it again since this day! :) Little stinker! She is almost 5 months old now and doing well!

Her 4 month appointment was so sad! She cried and cried and cried when she got her shots! It broke our hearts! She was 12.9 lbs, and 24.9" long. She is measuring in the 75% for height, 30% for weight and 5% for head size! Ha ha!

She is super happy all the time now - she loves to screech and giggle at everything! She can roll back and forth and doesn't mind "tummy time" at all!

Todd and I are doing well! I'm loving being a stay at home mom and Todd is almost done with finals and then we can apply to the nursing program. Wish us luck!

It's POOP again!

Yep, she pooped on me! I had the diaper down and was waiting to see if she would squeeze out anymore (can't tell you how many diapers I have wasted from changing her too soon) when all of the sudden, a giant squirt of poop flew through the air landing all over my shirt, pants, bed and all over her legs! I seriously didn't even know where to start to get it all cleaned up! It was fabulous!

I call her Lelebelle. I don't know why, it just seems to fit. She is also known as the "spit-up Queen" "Hiccup Queen" "Mrs. Fuss Bucket" and daddy calls her "The Cuteness"

I dropped off Noel to be babysat for the first time on Tuesday night! It totally broke my heart! She was fine of course and probably didn't even miss me! (She loves everyone) but it was so sad driving away!!! I had to stop the lump from forming in my throat!

Noel is growing SOOO much! I can't believe it! She is 7 1/2 weeks old and smiles all day long! She isn't laughing yet, but definitely makes happy sounds! Right now, she is in her bouncer squawking at the little ducky hanging from it. Occasionally she will reach out and grab it, but I don't think she realizes her hands are in her control yet. She LOVES her daddy! She always gets excited when he comes home and she LOVES her binky! I wish there was some way to permanently attach it to her face! :)

Baby Pictures!

2 Weeks Old

Noel is 2 weeks old. She has grown 2 full inches and weighs 7.11 lbs.

WELCOME HOME BABY NOEL

Angel Noel Heaton
Born Monday July 13th at 6:03 p.m.
7 lbs 4 oz
19 inches long
Long black Hair!

Where do I even start? We checked into the hospital at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning to be induced. They started me on Pitocin around 6:00 a.m. I was only dilated to a 1 1/2 and about 80% efaced so I knew we were hours away from delivery! Around noon I asked for the epidural. My contractions weren't really aggressive, but I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable and I knew my doc would come break my water after that. I was dilated to about a 3 at that time. Soon after I was at a 5, but then I started shivering uncontrollably off and on for several hours. The last shivering spell lasted an hour and a half straight - right up until I was dilated to a 10 and ready to go! I felt absolutely miserable and had a temperature of 102. So by the time I started pushing, my stomach muscles were already super sore. My whole body was super sore from the constant shaking. But at least I was able to feel that I was pushing correctly and it only took one push to see the top of her head. About 45 minutes later, little Noel was born!

Noel was also born with a fever but our temperatures both went back to normal soon after delivery. We got to be with her for a couple of hours that night and then they took her into the nursery to administer antibiotics in case the fever was caused by an infection. Through the night, her temperature dropped below normal and she acted as if she were sick. The pediatrician ordered some blood work for her the next morning and said she would have to stay in Level 2 Nursery until Thursday morning.

In the meantime, I was going through an ordeal myself. My bladder became so swollen right after delivery that even a catheter would not work. At midnight, they were able to get a catheter in, but over the next 12 hours, were unsuccessful. The epidural had numbed my abdomen and my entire left leg, so I couldn't find the muscle to be able to go to the bathroom. 4 nurses, my doctor and a Urologist tried to insert another catheter without success. The ultra sound showed that the catheter could not go in because the bladder was so swollen that the urethra was kinked. The urologist was concerned that there might have been an injury with all the failed attempts to put a catheter in, so I was admitted into the O.R. to get it scoped. If it did show an injury, they would have had to make an incision and empty the bladder that way. But luckily, besides some irritation, it was in tact. The funny thing is that before I had Noel, I told my father in law that it would be nice to have a catheter so that I didn't have to get up a thousand times each night to use the restroom. I guess I got what I wished for!!! I had to wear a permanent catheter for a full week! (It was nice, but a pain carrying around a bag of pee all the time!) Ha ha. By the time all this ended, it had been almost 24 hours since I had seen my baby girl.

Todd had spent many hours with her. He would go into the nursery in the middle of the night and he spent time with her while I was in the O.R. - so she totally bonded with her daddy first. In fact, the first time I got to see her again, she was crying and crying and all daddy had to do was say "Noel" and she stopped crying and looked at him. Noel's blood test results came back negative, but the pediatrician wanted to keep her on antibiotics just in case. We were both discharged on Thursday afternoon and then a Home Healthcare nurse came over to teach us how to give her the antibiotics through the I.V. in her head. Unfortunately, the I.V. was blocked and we had to go to the E.R. late Thursday night to have it put in again. It was excruciating to watch! I started crying and it was all Todd could do to hold back some tears. We couldn't stand watching her suffer like that! And on top of it all, I could barely move myself - I was in so much pain. My sister finally told me that it wasn't normal post-partum pain and that I should go to my doc. My doc ordered a Home Health Nurse to come give me an I.V. to take antibiotics over the weekend and took some blood. So hopefully all is well for both of us now!

We are so happy to be home and getting back to normal life! It has been so fun having her with us! She is a very good baby so far - squeaks occasionally, but barely cries. Daddy brags that she is the world's cutest baby. :) He is so cute with her! Wyatt (our dog) is adjusting well. He seems to understand that she is tiny and helpless and he gets concerned when she cries. She's changing so much everyday! I don't know if she looks like me or if she looks like Todd - but we think she is super cuteness!

Thank you all for the well-wishes!

One week until Baby Noel arrives!!!

Getting Noel's room ready!!! I left the walls green and I finished painting all the trim. Todd wants to paint the whole room pink and then maybe do some brown stripes (to match the bedding). I think it would be darling, but I've just run out of steam!!! So I'm going to wait until after the baby comes and I've had a chance to really decide how I want to decorate!

This is my good friend Lynsey who was supposed to be due 2 days AFTER me, but her little boy Riley decided to make an entrance into the world 3 weeks early! I can't wait for Noel to meet her future husband! :)

Ahh yes, my hubby has grown out his hair again. I absolutely love it long - I think he looks super hot! But I have to admit, I like it better when it's short! So it's being chopped off this weekend! Right in time for Noel to meet her daddy!

YES IT'S JUST ABOUT TIME!!!
I will be induced on Monday the 13th unless Noel decided to come sooner! I sure wish she would, but nothing is happening... I'm not even dialating at all yet! :( Just my luck! My last day of work is tomorrow. I'm super excited to be a stay at home mom, but I have to admit I have mixed feelings! I've worked for so long, It will definitely be a change for me! But I have a whole list of "To Do" items and projects I'd like to do! It will be great and TOTALLY worth any sacrifice we have to make! I'll miss working at MSS - they are the best company to work for and I'm SOOOOOO glad I had the opportunity to work there! I love all the people there and I will miss them very much!

Next time I post, I'll be telling you all about our new baby NOEL!!!

AHH 4 more weeks!!!

I can't believe I'm finally 4 weeks away! I got to see my precious doll face again today! My doc wants me to do a non-stress test every week now (I've already had two) but that's fine with me - because I get to have an ultra sound every time!!! I have extra amniotic fluid so he wants to keep an eye on it. But today, it was the perfect amount, decreasing normally! The test is kind of fun because they hook a monitor up to you to track the heart beat and any contractions - then I have to click a button any time I feel her move. Last time was funny because she had the hiccups - so there is a whole page of just click, click, click, click...

We are getting her room all ready! We finally got the crib in and the bedding should be in this week - so now we will have to figure out what color to paint the walls! This is what her crib looks like. We figured out that it matches our bedroom furniture perfectly, so we are bringing one of the dressers into her room (saves us money!) and then I bought a glider online from Walmart.

Her bedding looks like this:

We are getting so excited! I can't believe how close it is! Keep us in your prayers!!!

My fam, minus my hubby! Todd couldn't make it on this trip because of school and work and lacrosse and everything else! It was great to see everyone!


Michellie and her skinny binny body compared to my prego-ness.



My little Shay Shay - cute as a button!



The "Monkeys"

Everything has been going smoothly in my pregnancy, and Todd and I can't wait until July 14th! We only have 8 more weeks! I never imagined we would get this far! It's incredible! I feel great and so far have not really been uncomfortable at all! So far we have determined that she definitely has her father's feet! The first 3 toes are the same length (just like daddy) but she has MY personality! Just kidding, we have no idea! We like to tease each other about who she's going to turn out like! Right now, I think she is her father's daughter! Her feet are always up in my ribs (like what Todd did to his mom - he seperated her ribs!)

I got a good look at her when I was 26 weeks! I went in because she hadn't been moving at all (totally unlike her -she is a very active baby) and nothing I ate or drank got her going - so they did a bio-physical test on her where we just sat and watched her for a half hour! She passed the four parts of the test and was right back to her normal active self the next day! So she was probably just super sleepy! She is precious though! Comparing her face in the ultra sound pics to my pics as a baby, I'd say she is going to look like I did when I was born. The shape and placement of her eyes, her cute little button nose and the shape of her chin...it's me!!! I can't wait!

Todd is doing really well! He is working in the cardiology department as a health care assistant (basically, a CNA) and going to school full time - nursing this time. He's just doing his prerequisites now, so we'll see how it goes! He has also been coaching Riverton High Lacrosse! Their team made it into the semi-finals! It was so much fun to see them grow! Todd is an amazing coach and person! The boys just loved him! I'm quitting my job when the baby comes - It's definitely what I want most, but It's been so long since I haven't had a job - I'm sure I'll keep myself busy - but it's kind of scary! We are going to be living on Ramen Noodles! So if you feel like donating to our cause - we'd happily accept! :)

My 32 week appt is tomorrow, so I'll try to be better at keeping my blog updated. I'm sure I'll have more to report after Noel is born.

IT'S CONFIRMED!

We are definitely having a girl!!!  YEAH!

Oh my gosh - has it seriously been that long since I posted last?  Well, most of you already know our big news!  

I'M GOING TO BE A MOMMY!!!

I am just about 20 weeks pregnant - HALF WAY!!!  And so far, it is a little girl!  We have our next appointment on Monday so we'll get another chance to confirm!  If it is, we are thinking of naming her Angel Noel.  And then calling her "Noel".  Todd wants to use my middle name (Angela) some how, but it just doesn't have that great of a ring - so "Angel Noel" is my pick.  Todd likes it, but he hasn't made a final decision yet!  We are SOOOOO thrilled to finally be having a baby!  It's been a long journey to get here, but we are having so much fun!  I have pics to post, but my computer crashed and now none of my applications work (even when I re-install the disk) so I don't know what to do to fix it.  Maybe I'll post the one from my phone that I took...

I know, I know - I look like I'm 6 months pregnant, but I always look bigger when I'm sitting down.  Okay, here is another one I just took in my kitchen.

OHH!!!  She just kicked me!

I absolutely LOVE looking and feeling pregnant!  It's been so much fun!  Especially now that I'm long past the morning sickness stage!  I have an appetite again - I don't have to force feed myself to eat!  And I have energy so I can clean my house again!  Todd thinks it's great that I've "slowed down" to his pace - ha ha, but you all should know that it was SUPER TOUGH not being able to GO GO GO all the time like I'm used to!  

So how did it happen?  She truly was a gift from Heavenly Father!  After our miscarriage last April, Todd and I just sort of decided to let whatever happens happen.   We stopped all fertility treatment and sort of settled into the idea that I may not be able to get pregnant on my own and that we may have to take the next step (Invetro).  Everyone told me of course to "Stop thinking about it and then it will happen" YEAH RIGHT!!!  Yes, I know that's true - but how can you NOT think about it?  Well, Todd thinks having my doggie back helped a TON!!!  It totally relaxed me and helped me to be truly happy again.  I loved having a "baby" to take care of that NEEDED me and relied on me.  I could put my focus into the big ole' furry mug of his and not worry so much about having a real baby.   Soon, I got to the point where I could truly give my cares to Heavenly Father - trusting that He knew what was right for us and when the right time was for us.  I let it go and I gave it to Him.  I let Him be in control.  I knew he had the power and so instead of "begging" him to let us have a baby - I just asked for patience in waiting for the time He thought was right for us.  When October rolled around, I was at peace.  For the first time, I could hold a little baby and not cry.  And I felt that our time was near.  

The weekend of Halloween, I knew I was pregnant.  Not because I had proof - but because I felt compelled to pray for "me and the baby" that night in my prayers.  I kept thinking that I would take a test on Wednesday if "George" hadn't shown up.  Well, on Monday at lunch, I was flipping through my calandar and realized that I had miscalculated "George Time" and I actually had MISSED my period already!  Ohhh...the agony of waiting and wondering!  I had to go back to work.  So I drank a full cup of water and waited.  I wanted it to be nice and concentrated by the time I took the test so that it would really show if I was pregnant!  MISTAKE!!!  I had to go to the bathroom sooooo bad by the time work ended, I thought I was going to die!  But I STILL had to buy a pregnancy test - so I ran into Smith's and drove home as fast as I could.  Todd was in the back yard.  I didn't want to get his hopes up, so I dashed into the bathroom without saying anything.   

pause...pause...pause.   It seemed like it took a million years.  It was a digital test that just kept blinking while it gathered the results.  Just as I was about to give up (thinking it was a dud) the screen popped up and said "PREGNANT" I just about stopped breathing all together!  So I ran out to Todd and started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and then I rubbed my belly when I said "How I Wonder What You Are"...

It took a second for it to register what I was telling him, but then he figured it out.  Neither of us could believe it had actually happened!  He was so excited, but cautious!  Neither of us wanted to go through the emotions of another miscarriage - so we celebrated and hoped...and prayed.  As for me, I spent the night crying my eyes out - mostly in fear - pleading to let us keep the baby this time.  Todd gave me a blessing and I knew it would all be okay!!!