3 Weeks Old

Today my sweet Hannah is 3 weeks old. I know I said it last week in my post, but I cannot believe how quickly she is growing! It also makes me so sad to think that I only have 9 weeks left at home with her. It sounds like a long time but I know it will fly by. Hannah continues to change on a daily basis and Curt and I have really been noticing little differences in the way she looks and acts.

One big milestone this week was that Hannah's umbilical cord fell off! She has an "innie" and it's too cute. Now that her cord has fallen off we are able to give her baths in her little tub. Last night was the first time we did it and I was so nervous that she would cry and scream the whole time but I was wrong. She did wonderfully and never once whined or made any faces that she was unhappy. here are few photos from her first bath:

The other big event in our life this week was Curt's and my first "date night. On Saturday night, my parents watched Hannah for a few hours while Curt and I went to Sperry's for dinner. It was so wonderful to get out and spend some time alone with Curt. Of course, we missed Hannah the whole time and didn't stay out too long but it was a fantastic outing.

Our little family before Mommy and Daddy's first night out on the town.

Daddy and Hannah before heading out to Sperry's.

A few other photos from the week:

Miss Megan came for a visit!

2 Weeks Old

I can't believe that it's been 2 weeks since Hannah arrived! It's amazing how much she has already changed in the short time she's been here. I think that her hair is a little bit lighter and that her skin tone has also gotten a bit lighter than when she was born. Also, her sweet little face is changing a little bit but I still cannot decide if she looks more like Curt or me.

We had a 2 week physical on Tuesday and I am happy to report that Hannah is a very, very healthy girl! She weighs 7lbs, 15 oz and is 21 inches long. The good news about her weight gain is that we no longer have to wake her every 3 hours to eat. When she was first born, Hannah weighed 7lb, 10oz but the day we left the hospital she had lost 5 oz. The two days following, she lost another 3 oz. This was nothing dangerous but her doctor did ask that we wake her every 3 hours to feed so she could get back to her birth weight by 2 weeks old. Well, she made it and then some! Bad news for Curt and me is that she is like a little human alarm clock and wakes up every 3 hours on the dot...until last night. She had one 4 hour period of sleep! I'll take it!

Here are some photos of Hannah over the last 2 weeks:

This was the Saturday after she was born. It was snowing and we had to get out to go to the doctor. My friend Laura Napoli gave Hannah this warm fleece outfit which came in very handy for the snowy, cold day. And, my Mom found Hannah some Ugg boots that kept her feet so warm. Her hat is from Aunt Jan and cousin Hillary!

After the doctor, we went to my parents for breakfast. Albo is already a pro at giving Hannah her bottle!

Hannah loves her swing...or should I say she loves to sleep in her swing!

Hannah cannot keep her hands out of her face for some reason. She is so expressive with her hands. This picture cracks me up!

The Sunday after Hannah was born, Curt and I had cabin fever so we loaded Hannah up in the car for a visit to Clarksville to see Curt's family. Here is Hannah with Mamaw, Curt's grandmother.

This is Hannah with Nana and Popaw, my maternal grandparents. This was Saturday, January 16th and was the 2nd time they got to see Hannah. Nana had a terrible sinus infection and was finally well enough for a visit!

Hannah snoozing with her Daddy.

Hanging out in my boppy.

This was on the 18th which was her 2 week birthday. She is so much more alert and is awake so much more throughout the day.

Hannah with her brother, Rhodes. He is so good with her and Curt and I think he will be really protective of her as she grows up.

Hannah Grace Johnson

This post is long overdue but having a newborn baby limits you from getting to do things like blog on a regular basis! I wanted to share about Hannah's arrival and include some photos from the night she was born and our time in the hospital. Hannah arrived on January 4, 2011 at 7:51pm weighing 7lbs, 10.9oz and was 20 in long. My original due date was January 2nd so when she hadn't come on Monday, January 3rd, my doctor decided to induce me at midnight on the 4th. Being induced was quite the experience! Curt and I left our house at 11pm and headed over to Mom and Dad's to drop off our other baby (Rhodes-our 2 year old black lab). After that, Baptist Hospital was our next stop. I was admitted to labor and delivery and they started the pitocin drip, or so I thought. Come to find out at 3am, the nurse hadn't connected the pit drip properly to my IV so the drugs were dripping on the floor! Once they got it properly hooked up, I was able to rest throughout the night off and on and my contractions started. Dr. Norman (my OBGYN) came over to see me around 7am and planned to break my water but I was still only dilated at 1cm so she wasn't able to do so. She came back around 9:30am and I had dilated barely to 2 cm and she was thankfully able to break my water. After that, the contractions really intensified and it was time for the epidural. Once my water was broken, the hope was that I would start dilating more but that wasn't the case. I didn't get to 5cm until late afternoon/early evening. Thankfully, once I got to 5cm, it went much faster and Hannah finally arrived at 7:51pm! In total, I was in labor almost 18 hours but our sweet girl was totally worth it! It was a long day but we had many visitors to entertain us and Curt and I were able to rest on and off throughout the day.

Not sure what time of day this was taken but here I am just waiting for Hannah to arrive.

So, like I said, I was in labor for a REALLY long time. To entertain himself, Curt went down to the gift shop with his Mom and came back with this stuffed dog that looks just like Rhodes! I had commented earlier that day that I wished Rhodes was with us in the hospital so Curt made it happen! Even funnier was that the anaesthesiologist who did my epidural thought it was a real dog and I was blind and had brought my service dog with me!

Curt took these photos right after Hannah was born. I got to hold her as soon as she was born but they quickly took her away to make sure she was healthy. And, she was!

This was the 2nd time I got to hold Hannah. They gave her back to me rather quickly after they got her checked out and cleaned up.

Proud Daddy.

Our first family photo!

After Hannah was born, we spent another 2 hours in labor and delivery. The numbness in my legs from my epidural had to wear off enough for me to walk to the restroom. Once that happened, they moved us to the post-partum floor which is where we spent the next 2 days. We had many friends and family come to visit us while we were at the hospital. It was so special for Curt and I to see special friends and family who were excited to meet Hannah. We've always known how blessed we are but all of the visitors, phone calls, texts and emails really were nice reminders of all the wonderful people we have in our lives. On Thursday, January 4th, we were discharged from the hospital and got to bring our girl home!

Waiting to be discharged. Hannah wore the same dress home that I did as well as my Mom and her sister, Jan.

We are so blessed to have such a sweet, healthy little girl. Curt and I are thankful for all the prayers and support and can't wait for you all to meet Hannah!

Hannah's Nursery

Well, it's finally finished and ready to go whenever Hannah decides to arrive in the next few weeks. I wanted to share some photos because several sweet friends have asked to see the finished product. I had alot of help throughout the entire process from Curt (aka the painter), my parents and their dear friend and decorator extraordinaire, Shirley. I am so pleased with the way it turned out and hope Hannah enjoys her special room as much as I have enjoyed decorating it!

This is a view of the whole nursery from the door. It was hard to capture everything in the room...this was the best I could do!

This is an old dressing table I had in my room before Curt and I bought our house. The Beatrix Potter figurines where mine when I was a little girl as were the prints hung above.

This is a good view of what the chandelier looks like (I've gotta buy bulbs so I guess it's only 99% finished...oops). Also, the window treatments are my favorite thing in the room and this is a pretty good shot of how they turned out!

Hannah's bookshelf that her Daddy painted for her. Still needs a few more accessories and books but I'm sure her book collection will grow as she does.

Hannah's dresser doubles as a changing table. On the shelf above are a few special gifts Hannah has received: a silver monogrammed baby cup from Miss Linda, framed meaning of her name "Hannah Grace" from Miss RaeLynn, a ballerina bear from Honey (my Mom) and a vintage "The Dish Ran Away from the Spoon" figurine from Nana (Curt's Mom). Also, the rest of my Beatrix Potter figurines are there including one that plays "These are a Few of my Favorite Things" which was a baby gift to me from my Dad's cousin Larry and his wife, who both died shortly after I was born.

The glider which I have a feeling will be my "bed" here in a few weeks! It's very comfy which was a must when Curt and I purchased it.

Finally, the crib. Shirley picked out all of the fabric and had one of her friends in Memphis make it for me. It turned out beautifully!
The entire room is wonderful and I cannot wait for our sweet girl to be here to enjoy it. I am officially full-term today (37 weeks) so if Hannah is early there would be no concerns of her being too early. Everyone who has told me the last few weeks can be rough wasn't kidding! I'm pretty uncomfortale but know that it will be worth it!

Long Overdue

I couldn't believe this morning when I signed into my blog that I've let almost 6 weeks go by without a new post. Although not too much has been going on outside of getting ready for Hannah's arrival, there were some exciting things in the month of November worth sharing. On November 13th, my Aunt Jan (my Mom's sister) and my cousin's wife Hillary (she's married to Jan's son, Matthew) hosted a lovely shower for me and Hannah. The women from both sides of my family where there as well as some from Curt's. Several of my Mom's and grandmother's friends also came that day to celebrate. I have to say, Jan and Hillary certainly know how to host a lovely baby shower tea. They thought of every last detail and made the entire afternoon such a special celebration. Here are several photos from the day!

This is the welcome table where everyone signed a baby book that Jan and Hillary picked out. Not only will I get to use it as Hannah's official baby book but it will have all of the guest's signatures from the day!

The shower was actually a tea party and my Aunt used her beautiful sterling teas pots and served the tea in china that belonged to my paternal grandmother as well as my maternal great-grandmother.

Vintage baby cards from when Mom and Jan were born in 1954 and 1956!

This was the dessert table. Not only did we have yummy cupcakes but Jan made homemade baby's foot cookies and homemade candies in the shape of baby rattles!

Nana, me, Mama

Nana, me, Mamaw (Curt's grandmother)

Marsha (Curt's Mom), me, Mamaw

The hostesses and me! Hillary on the left, Jan on the right.

This is Katie Goodman who is now 8! I remember going to her baby shower when I was 18. Katie is so special to Curt and me (she was the flower girl in our wedding) and I was so glad that she and her mom Dana, who is also very special, could be there that day to help me celebrate!

I also had a baby shower at work last week on November 30th. Everyone in my department got together and "showered" me with wonderful presents and a yummy cake and punch! Here are a few photos from that day:

Curt and I are so blessed to have people in our lives that have put together such nice celebrations for Hannah! We are so thankful and cannot wait to meet our sweet daughter in 4 short weeks. I actually had a doctor's visit yesterday and we got some good news. At 30 weeks (the last time I had an ultrasound), Hannah was breech but we learned yesterday that she has flipped head down and I am out of the woods of having a c-section. No progress as far as dilation is concerned so it's still looking like Hannah's not going to make her appearance for another 4 weeks but you never know!