Random Photos!

Addison is growing so much. We are so busy each day I forget to post pictures and update everyone on what is going on with us.  Here are a few recent photos and I'll update more later with our latest happenings in the Jennings' household!

Just hanging out.

After my bath.

Sleeping on Mama's chest.

No idea what I'm supposed to do here!

1 month old

Happy 1 Month Baby Girl!
Four weeks have flown by! Who knew maternity leave would be this eventful.  I thought maternity leave was supposed to be relaxing and with plenty of time to catch up on projects around the house. Ha!  That's okay though. Even with the countless hours of being awake in the middle of the night it has been the most wonderful time in my life. There is no where I'd rather be at 3 am than holding my sweet angel in my arms. We have been busy learning how to be parents but it is starting to get easier.  We have been on the go since week one. We take Addison out to eat and she does great. We've visited family and had a lot of visitors at our house as well.  

Addison's Stats at 1 month!
 Weight: ~8 lbs 10 oz
 Height: 20 1/2 inches
 Clothing Size: Newborn/ 0-3 mo

You sure are growing.  Even though you are still so tiny just the thought of you getting bigger brings tears to my eyes.  You are starting to stare at random objects and notice moving things a lot more.  You have noticed the ceiling fan now and stare at it often.

You are finally gaining a little weight. After struggling with getting you enough milk Mommy realized she was starving you.  We started giving you formula after breastfeeding and you are much happier now.  I knew breastfeeding was important but I never knew how much I would enjoy this time with you. You took to breastfeeding 45 minutes after you were born and we didn't even have to teach you! It was painful for me for three weeks or so. I would kick and bite my lip, but eventually it went away. I'm sorry Mommy doesn't make quite enough for your belly to get full, but that's okay. You are taking to formula just as well.  Daddy has helped so much with your feeding. In the beginning when I was only breastfeeding he would get you ready and bring me water to drink. He made sure that we had everything we needed to be comfortable while you ate.  He held my hand through the tough parts too.  Looking down at you while you are eating is the most precious thing I have ever witnessed and I will treasure those moments forever!

You sleep a lot still but when you are a wake your eyes are big a bright.  During the day you take several naps.  At night you are getting better at sleeping longer and Mommy and Daddy are happy about that. You sleep in the pack & play cradle on Mommy's side of the bed.  I still keep the closet light on and door cracked so I can see you at all times.  Mommy gets up with you each time to feed you and tries to let Daddy sleep since he is already back to work.  We change your diaper and head to the living room to watch tv while you eat.  I had been attempting to feed you in the bed or in the nursery rocker but I was falling asleep and started to worry that I would drop you.  Now we enjoy an episode of the Bachelor or Biggest Loser while I feed you.  Sometimes if I don't have any recorded shows we'll watch infomercials and wonder what Daddy would do if we bought everything we saw on tv at 3am. :)

You love the changing table.  Gigi calls it the "talking table" because this is where she talks to you the most and you make noises back at her that she calls talking.  Gigi talks a lot, but you seem to enjoy it and you get this look on your face like you want to talk back to her. You do like the changing table and I've seen a few smiles here and there when I lay you down on it.  You also do a lot of exercise here-lots of kicking and punching while Mommy and Daddy are trying to change you.

You are starting to like baths more.  We have a pink bath tub that your Aunt Kathy and Aunt Missy got you. We have used it a few times and you do very well in it.  I have bathed you in the bathroom sink a few times for an emergency bath where there was no time to prepare! :)

You love to be held.  Sometimes you will sit in the swing or the nap nanny for a little while but eventually you figure out that you are not in someone's arms and let us all know about it.  One of your favorite spots is laying on your belly on Daddy's chest.  Often you and Daddy will lay like this on the couch and watch basketball with Kobe.

We have taken you out and about since you were 1 week old.  Your first outing was to Bridgestreet to walk around with us.  We ate at Lime outside near the lake and you did great.  We walked around a bit before heading back.  After that you went out to eat with us wherever we decided to go.  The longest trip you have been on was 2 hours to Birmingham to meet Nonnie.  You've done great shopping with Mommy so far until it started getting warm outside. You get hot in your carseat and we have to take breaks.  When we are out shopping and running errands we spend a lot of time in the back of the truck when you get hungry or need a diaper change.

It's been an amazing four weeks.  The time is going by so fast I just wish it would slow down. I try to take in every moment and enjoy our time together. Even so, I'm looking forward to our new adventures as you keep growing.



Our Tenessee Family Visit!
 I call Brandon's family our Tennessee family.  Doris, Richard, and Nana came for a visit. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the rest of the family but plan on visiting at the end of March.  It was Nana and Richard's first visit with Addie and they were super excited to spend 5 days with her.  Addison spent a lot of time on Richard's chest and Richard spent a lot of time changing clothes during his visit! haha  Here are a few pictures.

Great Grandmothers

Addison gets to meet her Great Grandmothers, all in one day!  Addison  has been doing so well sleeping that we finally decided we could make the trip to Birmingham. This would be our first long trip.  We called up Nonnie and she was free so we headed to Leeds, AL for Addison to meet her!  It was about a two hour trip and Addison did great all the way there. Addison loved her Nonnie!  We got to visit and have lunch with Nonnie before heading back.  Hopefully we will get to visit again soon and have a longer visit.

We had to hurry and get home because we were expecting company ourselves! Brandon's family was coming down and Addison was getting to meet her other Great Grandmother-Nana as well! 

Lots of visitors!

Everyone wanted to come by and meet baby Addison and I was excited to introduce her to everyone.  Thanks to all of our friends and family that came by and brought us dinners and offered help with anything and everything. Here are a few pictures of Addison meeting her new friends and family.

Cynthia came by to visit us!

Chip & Haley

Meeting Uncle Jamie and Aunt Serena!

Visiting Abagail, born 1 day before Addison.

Chastitiy and Dylan came by to meet Addison.

Chastity is another coworker from the ER.  I was so thankful to have friends at work to go through this experience with. I had so many questions and needed advice and thankfully they were there to help with that! Chastity and I worked together often in triage and it was easier to get through the day with her..maybe because we knew how hard it was on each other for those long 12 hour shifts.

Addison's First Week

I wish I would have blogged more during Addison's first week home. We were so exhausted and I think we were just trying to survive on the little sleep we could get.  I remember our parents were there to help us out the first week. We took turns taking naps and our mothers helped out on the night shifts.  Addison was pretty fussy this week waiting for her milk. We spent our time trying to distinguish her cries and figure out what she needed and wanted. We both were adjusting to being responsible for this sweet little girl.  I remember just staring at her sometimes wondering how in the world I deserved such a wonderful gift.  She is so perfect and I just want to give her the world.

We spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get her to sleep and where was the safest place to put her.  Before the birth we wanted to put her straight in her crib and not in our room.  After a little episode with her breathing at the hospital we were too afraid to take our eyes off her.  Of course we ended up putting her next to our bed to sleep.  I would lay on my side and face her and never take my eyes off her.  When I would drift off to sleep I would wake up pretty soon and check on her again.  This made for a very sleepy Mommy.  Even during the day when Brandon would make me go take a nap I didn't want to because I didn't want to miss a single minute of her sweet face.

Our parents eventually had to leave and there were were with a 1 week old and left to figure it out on our own.  We were so grateful our parents were there to help with the housework, cooking, and of course with Addison.  However, we needed to figure out how to do this with no help! Heck-I was about to have to figure out how to do this 10 hours a day without Brandon.  He had two weeks off and it was flying by.

Got Milk?
Addison was fussy a lot.  I assumed this was normal with newborns.  She had taken to breastfeeding wonderfully in the first 30 minutes of her time here with us.  We had no issues with latching and she just did great. I was scared to try breastfeeding.  After having a breast reduction over 10 years ago I was nervous that it wasn't going to work out.  I knew how important breastfeeding was for her and I was terrified I wouldn't be able to provide for her.  But-it worked-mostly.  It took four days for my milk to come in  so during this time we supplemented just a little bit with formula.  I didn't like giving it to her. We gave her small amounts in a syringe thinking it was enough.  She was still fussy though.  Turns out the poor thing was starving. She didnt gain much weight over the next two weeks.  So turns out I don't make enough milk to keep up with her appetite. Since then we've been supplementing with bottles of formula when she doesn't get enough.   Now she's gaining weight and growing like a champ!

Coming home.

Pardon my delay in posting, we've been so busy in the Jennings house!

Coming home!
After spending three days in the hospital, we were ready to go home. I was very excited to bring Addison home in the same dress I was brought home in 30 years ago. I'm so glad my Mom saved it and took such good care of it. It was double Addison's size, but that's okay.  She still looked very cute in it.  We were so excited to get Addison home and to meet the family.  We loaded her in the truck and Brandon drove us home. 

When we arrived the house was covered in pink bows!  Thanks to our friends and family that decorated for us!

I remember just being so tired once we got home.  That evening we celebrated Addison's homecoming with our mothers and my brother Derrick's family.  

Addison's Birth Story

I'm going to attempt to recount every moment of the most wonderful weekend of our lives. Here we go.  On January 23 we went to the doctor for our 40 week appointment.  There was no sign that miss Addison would be making an appearance any time soon.  We decided to be induced on Thursday, January 26th.  The week flew by and Thursday was upon us.  I think it didn't hit me until that morning that we were going to be bringing home a baby that weekend.  It was very surreal to think about.  I spent the day cleaning the house and getting things ready.  We took Kobe to the vet, packed our bags and loaded the truck.  We knew that the induction process could take a long time and Dr. Fiore told us to eat before we came to the hospital.  Like every other day during the pregnancy I was craving salad. I must have had 8-10 salads a week during the last 20 weeks of the pregnancy.  I told Brandon we had to go to Olive Garden for salad and bread sticks.  We left in plenty of time to eat and still had time to spare so we went to Home Depot to walk around before heading to the hospital.  I think we were just nervous and thought walking around for a few minutes would help.  We bought a can of black spray paint and a rug mat for our new rug in the master bedroom. Strange, I know.  Now-it was time to head to the hospital.
Induction
We checked in at L&D right on time at 4pm.  While we waited we chatted with a coworker of mine from the ER.  Then, our nurse came around the corner and called our name.  She took us to our birthing suite.  I had taken numerous patient's to L&D from the main hospital before.  I knew what the rooms looked like and what to expect, but walking into my birthing suite was a very different feeling.  I knew this room is where I would meet my precious little girl.  We got settled in with our luggage-I may have over packed but you never know how long you might have to stay and what all you might need. I'm always prepared. Immediately Brandon and I knew that we liked our nurse Lindsey a lot.  It was two hours til shift change and I was already trying to figure out how to get her to stay with us for the next 24 hours.  She was a great nurse and she made us feel very welcome and comfortable.  After we got settled it was time for Cervidil to be inserted.  This is a medication that softens the cervix and helps the cervix dilate during induction. After we got through the 20 questions, got my IV started, and checked for any dilation it was time for her to go home. Before she left though she did the most wonderful thing and lined up another fantastic nurse for us the following morning for the delivery.  She didn't have to do this but we were very appreciative that she cared enough to do so.  It was time for shift change and she introduced us to our night nurse.  I don't remember much about this nurse. I remember her telling us it was really busy. She offered me pain medication, in which I refused.  I didn't really have a birth plan, but my only requests were no pain medication during the labor process.  Looking back at it, I wouldn't have changed that and I have no clue how I made it through the next few hours with nothing more than Brandon at my side coaching me.  The night nurse came in to remove my cervadil at 3am and I was really starting to get uncomfortable, but didn't have any recognizable contractions at this point. She started my Pitocin and I think around 5 I started to feel contractions regularly and then by 530 they were coming one right after another.  I didn't even have time to catch my breath in between each one.  The nurse came back in and turned down my pitocin. The contractions had been very strong, but so close together that I wasn't progressing.  Brandon never left my side. He stood there next to me watching the monitor getting me through each contraction.  At around 7 I was watching the clock wondering why the morning nurse hadn't come in yet.  At 705 my water broke and Brandon rang the call bell.  Julie walked in and introduced herself.  It seems like from that point everything happened so fast.  Dr. Fiore came in shortly after to check on me and predicted a lunch time delivery.  He gave the okay for my epidural to be placed.
3 Epidurals!! 
Dr. Campbell came in to place my epidural.  I bent over, rounded my back and Brandon helped hold me steady while it was placed.  I got the bolus of meds and finally had some relief.  But...that was it.  Dr. Campbell believed a kink was in the tubing and so he took it out.  Ah...try try again.  He put the second one in while I was laying down. I curled into a C and was ready for the next one.  It wasn't bad, they all felt like little bee stings.  Not nearly as bad as the contractions, that is for sure.  Dr. Campbell then says it didn't go in properly.  AH!  Well-lets do another one then please!  I was hoping there wasn't a 2 stick limit I didn't know about.  He said he would do another.  However-his radio went off and they needed him next door immediately.  Come on! lol  I was still comfortable at this point so I was okay with the wait.  He returned a little while later and the third placement was successful.
Time To Push!
I don't really remember the time, maybe 11 or 1130?  Julie said we were ready to start pushing.  I was so sleepy from being up all night I didn't know if I had the energy to do anything.  Maybe I shouldn't have cleaned the entire house the day before.  I should have been napping!  So here we go...Does everyone have their camera? Yes-they do!  Everyone in this room except for Julie has a recording device of some type in their hand.  Where is my big camera? Ah-in my Mother In Law's hands...standing right in front of me. Brandon is to my side with the video camera, and my Mom is standing close by with her camera.  I remembered cancelling the "photo session" earlier when each of my family members were standing in a row flashing cameras at me during my contractions.  I thought about cancelling again, but pushing distracted me from the paparazzi.  And now, I'm glad I have the pictures, even the ones of me looking like a beached whale with a fake smile.  Okay, back to the pushing.  I felt like the pushing was going nowhere. I think I pushed for 30 minutes and was not feeling like I was making progress.  Julie sat at the end of the bed coaching me. Brandon was by my side.  All the sudden all the pain comes back.  Dear Lord-WHATS WRONG WITH THE EPIDURAL???  It's not working.  Great..lets do this all natural!  Seems like at this point Julie called Dr. Fiore for assistance. He showed up rather quickly and dressed in his paper gown and boots. I only pushed a few minutes.  It wasn't too long before Addison Marie arrived. Addison was born at 1252 at 8.5 lbs and 19 1/2 inches.  

This was the most amazing day of my life and I would do it all over again for her.  She was perfect. Looking back on the experience I would not have changed anything. 

We had a fantastic experience at HH these three days.  The L&D staff was amazing. I cannot thank Lindsay and Julie enough for all they did for us. They were just really top notch nurses, I was impressed.  The staff in postpartum and the nursery were great as well. They were so helpful with Addison and helping with my recovery.