Prayer request and more

This is a post to call to all of those who I know and love, and even those I don't know. My sister in law Sandi has been battling breast cancer for 4 years, and she is the strongest woman I know. We have recently learned that her cancer is no longer in remission and she will be starting chemo again following surgery which she had yesterday. Please pray for her and for all of her family as we are all fighting with her.

There is a race in Dothan on October 25th in her honor, and in honor of all those who are fighting breast cancer, and I am going to try to link the info to this post. If you can participate in this race, please do, and if you can't but are willing to give donations that is an option as well. This is the link to the registration form and information. http://www.samcfoundation.org/events.html#championsofhope

Sandi is definitely a "Champion of Hope" and we are all hoping and praying for the best.

Sleepy Sleepin'

That is what my little girl is doing right now, and although I was supposed to feed her at 9:00, I just don't have the heart to wake her (it is 9:30). This is a picture from last night (before the crying started) of her in her precious footie pj's. She had a hard time getting to bed last night due to some unfortunate gas pains, and being a little overtired, she didn't get to sleep until 11:15! She slept all the way through til 6:00 this morning though! Now I am watching her in the video monitor and listening to her little sleepy whimpering noises as I type. Daisy is sleeping in our bed, next to the bassinet, ever Margaret Anne's guardian!

The past week has been great! We have gotten out of the house a little more and it makes me feel good to take her out and get out of the house. She is becoming a champion sleeper and I just hope it lasts, especially since I am going back to work in a week and a half. I don't know how I am going to do it... the thought of it makes me want to burst into tears! I am comforted knowing we have a GREAT lady taking care of her, and she will be right down the street from my school, but it will still be really hard. Will she think that this lady is her mother? Will she cry for her instead of me? I know that I am supposed to know that she knows who her mother is, but I still wonder and it makes me very sad.

I was trying to do the Babywise schedule, but I just can't stick to it. Bacically because letting her "cry it out" when she is this little is something I am just not willing to do yet. She is getting into her own schedule though, and that is just fine with me!

It seems like she has grown up in just the last few days... she feels heavier and looks older to me. Now she is beginning to stir, so we better go start our day! I will say this... it was nice to get up and have breakfast uninterrupted while she slept. Now if I can only manage to squeeze in a shower today...

Picture Day, Part Deux

Today was Picture Day!!

This afternoon we took Margaret Anne to get her first (professional) pictures made. She was very alert and happy, and that made for some great pictures! Here are a few...

Thank God for each other!!!

I am starting to figure out that each new day with a newborn baby brings new challenges! When the baby does what "we think she's supposed to" (i.e.-sleep when we put her down, burp on cue during/after a feeding, etc), we like to talk about the precise method we used that led to unparalleled success, and expect it to yield the same result every time. Of course, as soon as we have it all figured out, she lets us know of her disapproval. This immediately leads to us doubting EVERYTHING we do, and how we don't know what to do to help her. Don't get me wrong, Margaret Anne is a very happy baby, and many who have seen her can attest to that, but there are moments when she seems to have her own agenda (typically comprised of crying), and Mom and Dad look at each other cluelessly. If anyone tells me they can keep a clear head while their baby is crying seemingly without reason, don't mention it to me, cuz I ain't havin' it! My point in this directionless rant is that, I cannot be more thankful to share this experience (yes, the good and the bad), with Meredith, and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Also, here is a picture of Daisy, professional guardian of Margaret Anne and her room. She is a great big sis and camps out under her crib!

Cabin Fever

Sorry that we haven't written in the past few weeks, but things have been a little crazy around here. War Eagle, by the way! Margaret Anne is doing great and is still really beautiful, and she is such a good baby. As long as she is held and fed, she is happy most of the time. Sometimes she fights going to sleep a little bit, but that is okay! We are going to get her picture made on Friday and that should be really interesting. I can't wait to see if she cries and screams or if she sleeps or what. Maybe we can catch her mid poop, because then she looks really happy!
Hays and I are having to get used to not getting a lot of sleep and it is hard! I guess I better learn how to function on a little sleep, as I will be going back to work in just a few weeks. SAD :( I know that first day of daycare and work will be really hard for me. Everything else seems to be a little easier. I think my hormones have leveled out a lot, and it helps that we are giving her more bottles now. I am mostly pumping and then we give her some formula too. The doctor told us to go ahead and get her used to both so that when I go back to work she will take the bottle.
I called this post cabin fever because I have been in the house so much it has started to make me a little crazy! Hays came home from work early last Friday so that I could go see my dancers perform at the pep rally and then go to half of their football game, and that was really fun. It was great to see some of my students and friends from work that I have missed. I know it won't take me long to get back into the swing of things once I get back. Also on Saturday Hays watched her while I did a little shopping, and it was just really nice to be out on my own for a little while.
SO, just wanted to update you all and let you know that things are going really well! We will put more pictures up soon, and hopefully soon there will be a post from Hays!