She already loves exercising!

This week we've started working out on our activity mat! At first Blair didn't know what to think about it but quickly figured out it was fun! Here are some pictures of our "work-outs"!

She's Growing Fast!

Blair has gotten to be a busy women these days. From Camping at Stone Mountain to learning to hold her head up using her Bumbo she is accomplishing new tasks everyday and growing up before our very eyes. Below are a few of our accomplishments...

First time in a pool! Her GGMa Sandra helped her cool off in the pool! (1week old)

Her first trip to Stone Mountain. She slept through the laser show not even flinching at the fire works! (3 weeks!)
This is my favorite picture. She loves her Snugli. She got to look around and check everything out! (3 weeks!)

Blair's first time in her Bumbo seat. We practice for 10 minuets everyday! She can almost hold her head up a fully 5 minuets on her own! (4 weeks)

Her first night not sleeping in Momma and Daddy's bed! (Huge accomplishment!) (5 weeks!)

Got Milk?

... If so keep it away from Blair! Blair had a "weight check-up" at the Dr last Tuesday, August 18th. Though she has gained a large amount of weight, she is now weighing in at 8.5 lbs, the Dr. has concluded she has a cow milk allergy! He switched her formula and we are hoping this will clear up all of the tummy trouble she has been having.

First visit to Church!

Last Sunday, August 16th, we took Blair to Russell's parent's church! She had the best time being passed from person to person, and such a fuss made over her when they announced her birth in front of the congregation. Above is her before we left dressed in her Sunday best.

Blair is really fitting in!

Blair is really fitting in with the rest of the family! Toby and Boga really love their new sister.

First Trip to the Dr.

On August 3rd Blair had her first Dr's. Appointment! She was up 8oz from how much she weighed when she left the hospital (6. 15 lbs) She was given a clean bill of health!

Blair lost her Umbillical Cord!

Blair is officially one week old as of Wednesday! She is such an amazing gift! Russell and I are so completely in love with her! Yesterday she was a little fussy until Russell got home from work. After he took her she was completely calm... Then he looked down at her and where her cord stump had been, there was a belly button! He said she waited until he got home to give it to him as a present. Lol. So now our little girl can officially have a bath! I'm so excited to get to share in all her little mile stones as she grows!

Baby Blair has arrived!

Baby Blair decided to make her arrival on July 29th 2009, at 6:22 pm after 21 hrs of labor! She weighted in at 6lbs 11oz, and was 20 in long! This is her birth story...!
I had a Dr.s appointment Tuesday,July 28th, at 9:30 AM. While there the Dr. stripped my membranes again, and we set an induction date for Monday, August 3rd, if she didn't make an appearance by then. I was so excited to see an end in site, especially since I was STILL at 2 cm!
I went home and decided to clean the house so I would be prepared if anything happened. I was very crampy and decided to lay down and take a nap. While I was napping my Sister-in-law Polly called and invited us over for dinner, she was making Egg Plant Parmesan which is suppose to induce labor. Well I guess it worked because as soon as we got home, it all started!
After getting home around 9 pm my cramps were picking up, I took a bath in an effort to sooth them to no avail. I told Russell and Kim that I thought this might be the start of contractions, then I went to bed.
I slept from 11 pm to 1:30ish Am. When I woke up at 1:30 I was in so much pain i didn't really know how to make it go away so I bore through it until it would go away and I could go back to sleep. But every hour after like clock work I was awake and in pain. Finally at 5:30 I couldn't take it and woke Russell up and told him I was pretty sure I was in labor. I tried taking another bath but nothing helped. At 6 Am I began timing my contractions and they were 3-6 minuets apart! At 7 Am I told Russell he should probably plan on calling work and I called the hospital and was told to come in.
Somewhere between talking to the nurse and telling Russell what she said I hit agony! The pain began coming like crazy and I broke down. I gathered all my strength and ran down the steps to the car. LOL.
We got to the hospital and were immediately put in a bed and hooked to monitors. I began asking anyone who came in when I could have some medication. Every time I would have a contraction I would throw up! It was horrible! After being there for about 15 minuets I was at 3 cm and admitted to the hospital! This amazing woman (my nurse lol) gave me and IV and some Stadol. The Stadol did nothing to ease the pain of the contractions but made me so loopy that after they would pass they were forgotten and replaced by thoughts of sheep grazing. LOL. I had to get a bag of fluid and as soon as I got that I got the wonderful Epidural! Life improved greatly after that!
The rest of the time was somewhat of a blur but I do remember some of it.
About an hour after getting the epidural Mom, Dad, Kim, and Cassandra came in. We all talked and shared our excitement.
About 2 hours later my Dr. came to visit. He checked me and I was at 4cm. It might not seem like much but I was ecstatic! PROGRESS! He then broke my water. He became a bit concerned because Blair had a BM in utero.
After my water broke my contractions became much stronger and much closer together! Thank God I couldn't feel them! Everyone left me at that point so I could take a nap. While I was napping the nurse came in and checked me and said I was 7-8 cm and "very stretchy"! I was so excited but also becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
I called Russell and told him to come back because we were getting close. An hour later I was at 9 cm, and Kim and Mom were told to come on back! We were getting REAL close!
I wouldn't even say 20 minuets later I was at 10 cm. I began pushing in an attempt to get her lower, and make her head go under my pubic bone!
Once she got past the bone the Dr. walked in and it was on! I pushed for a total of 1 hour and then my precious Baby Blair was placed on my tummy! While pushing they brought over a mirror and I got to see some of what was going on.
The Dr. was not at all pleased with her appearance. I got to look down at my belly and see the top of her head for 2 seconds while the Dr. cut the cord and she was rushed off. The cord was wrapped once around her neck and she had alot of fluid in the lungs so she wasn't breathing right.
My temperature was taken right at delivery and I had a fever which meant I had some kind of an infection. They were worried that I had passed it on to her. They rushed her to the NICU before I even got a chance to see her. Russell went with her. Kim and I think Momma stayed with me.
I needed some stitches and my Dr. was very concerned because my uterus wouldn't contract so it wouldn't get smaller, and I was losing alot of blood. He sat working on me for a long while until they called him to another delivery! He came back an hour later and finished me up. I was left there not knowing about her for 5 more hours. Finally I asked them to take the epidural out of my back because I wanted to go see my daughter. They finally did and I lied and told them i could feel my legs again so that I could go to the NICU.

(This was her first picture in the NICU)

When we got to her she was so tiny and beautiful! It was surreal seeing my little girl and knowing this was the baby that I had carried and been kicked and jabbed by for the last 10 months. I was instantly smitten!
She had to stay another hour but they finally brought her up to room in with us. Grandma Al and Auntie Kimmy stayed the whole time so they could see her. By the time we got her it was 1 Am and worth every minuet of waiting!

On Thursday her pediatrician came to check her out and he wasn't pleased by what he found. He said when she was first born she had the highest white blood cell count he had ever seen and that meant infection. So he set her up to have an IV line put in and 2 rounds of antibiotics, after the antibiotics he then wanted to re-test her that night and then again the next morning to determine if she was clear of infection.(My poor baby with her IV)

Luckily when the results came in Friday afternoon Baby Blair was given a clean bill of health and we were sent home.
We're home now and Russell and I are so overcome with love for this little girl! She was worth every bit of the vomiting, crankiness, and being uncomfortable that we went through. I love her more every time I look at her and I feel very fortunate to have her.
Thanks to all of y'all who went through this journey with us.

She's still not here... but...

Toby is wondering, "Where the baby he's been promised is?"

Although Blair still has yet to make an appearance, after yet another false alarm, I decided I'd let you guys in on the final product that is the nursery! The following are pictures I took of her room this morning. I have what I pray is my last Dr's appointment tomorrow so I should be posting afterwords to let y'all know whats going on...

39 Weeks!

So as I reach the last week of my pregnancy, I've been a bit more worn out so I stay closer to home. Therefore this picture is not the best but you can clearly see we are reaching the end.
I went to what I was hoping would be my last Dr's appointment yesterday. I am still 2 cm dilated, and he said he would prefer me to have progressed more. That being said while he was checking me he went ahead and stretched my cervix. By him doing that he said it could start the labor process within the next 72 hours if it worked. He then began feeling my belly and asked how big Russell and I were when we were born. When I told him 7 lbs he said, "Well you have a HUGE whopper of a baby in there!" I was not amused. (Just kidding) He said for her being so big and her being my first we couldn't really go over my due date. So he told me when I made my appointment for next week to make sure it was for earlier in the week because, "we need to get this thing moving!"
Anyway so long story short... We should have a baby if not this weekend, then by sometime next week. Russell can hardly contain his excitement and tells her every night to, "Come on out and play with Daddy!"
We have enjoyed sharing this experience with you all! Maybe the next time I post it will be the story of her birth! *fingers crossed*