She's Here

Hannah Riley Freeman was born Sunday, April 5 at 9:38 p.m. weighing in at 7 pounds 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. She's a beautiful little girl with such a sweet demeanor, and most importantly she's healthy. Chris and I can't praise God enough for how blessed we are.

Now seven days old, Hannah is adjusting to life in the Freeman household. Actually its more like the Freemans are rearranging their lives to having a newborn! We're getting the hang of all the feedings, dirty diapers and sleep times. Of course, the best part is the awake time - our Hannah is such a snuggler.

One thing I'm completely blown away by is God's love for us. Words can't describe the immense love I have for Hannah. And I realize that His love for His children is even greater than I can ever contain for my daughter.

As a side note, I'd like to mention that the baby bluebirds I last blogged about were born today. :)

We have a ton of pictures so far of our sweet baby cakes. We just have to load them all, so be patient - there are many more to come!

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

We have this empty clay pot on our back patio that I have intended to plant something in for years. I swear I’ll get around to it someday, but for now it just sits there. However, I’ve noticed lately that we’ve had two regular visitors on our back porch - two beautiful bluebirds - and they've made a home in my burgundy clay pot. I understand a thing or two about nesting these days and have been intrigued by our little bird neighbors. After a week of watching them, Chris and I walked out on the patio and discovered 4 blue eggs in their nest. It delights me to think our new neighbors are going to be new parents soon, too. :)

I have to admit, I think God has a little something to teach me through these bluebirds. Something you may not know about me is that I’m a worrier. When I’m uncertain about what’s to come, I tend to worry myself sick over every potential disaster. As you can imagine, I’ve had my moments in the past few months where I have worried over things ranging from childcare options to my capability of caring for a newborn. And while I may keep my worries to myself, they float around in my brain plaguing me at times! How’s that for honesty?

Well anyway, these bluebirds could’ve nested anywhere, but they chose our back patio. And as I’ve watched them, I’ve been reminded of something Jesus said and I’m comforted to know that essentially everything is going to be alright:

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Thanks For Asking

I don't know what it is about pregnancy that makes so many people speak without thinking! It's like a belly bump gives people the license to say to you whatever the heck is on their mind. Today, I went with a few coworkers across the street to the gas station for an afternoon snack. And let me tell you, I hit the jackpot. As a side note, let me just say that Dreyer's Crunch Dibs are the bomb dot com.

Anyway, as I'm walking up to the cash register to pay for my ice cream, the attendant - who looks a lot like Sanka from the 1993 Disney movie Cool Runnings (the guy on the left in this picture) - says to me, "Hey, I've got a personal question. Do you fart a lot cuz you're pregnant? Cuz I hear pregnant women fart a lot." There could've been so many responses to this, but I answered him honestly with the obvious answer being that yes pregnancy does indeed make you gassy, and we all just laughed hysterically. Sanka The Gas Station Attendant, you're the man. Thanks for making my day.

The Plan, Man

It's funny how interested people are about our delivery plans. So I thought I would post them here for everyone to know at once.

Hannah's official due date is April 10. And the plan is that if she's not here by then, we will induce on April 9. My body has progressed very well on its own, and while I really hope that I go into labor naturally, I am favorable to be induced should we need it. In other words, it won't take much medical intervention to get this baby out.

I have a very conservative doctor that doesn't believe in scheduling inductions for the sake of convenience, which I greatly appreciate. However, she is not a fan of her patient's carrying babies past their due date as the risk of complications drastically increases by the day. Since I work in health care, I have educated myself on all of the options available to us, feel peace about our decisions and trust the medical professionals God has placed in our life for our natal care. I appreciate everyone's interest and concern - I really do - so I wanted to let you in on what our plans are.

With that being said, Hannah Riley has a birthday coming up next week one way or another that we can't wait to celebrate!

Welcome to the Crib!

Meet Hannah's buddies, Roscoe and Maebe.

Roscoe Cat has been around a while hanging out in Hannah's room, just waiting on her to get here. Since he's home alone all day playing in her room, the anticipation has made him nuts! So that he could have someone to share in the excitement and help him throw an even bigger welcome home party for Hannah, we got him a friend. Her name is Maebe Panda. Hannah's going to be excited to meet her cool new friends. On the flip side, Hannah may be slightly dismayed that her mother is a big dork. :)

As IF...

I went to the doctor today, and as if you really wanted to know anything about my uterus... let's just say I'm "progressing" pretty well on my own. I'm exactly 14 days away from my due date and my body is telling me that the end of my pregnancy is drawing near. Hannah is sitting really low and is pretty much ready for her birthday... as am I! I'll be as patient as possible until my due date - after all, it's not bad for her to go full term - but this baby's getting the boot on April 9! Other than that, I'm feeling mild contractions, as if my body's warming up for the big day.

My FAVORITE part about it all is being unable to manage how the hormones and tiredness affect my emotions. (Note the sarcasm.) And I've only had a few bouts of craziness, so I don't think anyone would really say I've been one of those insanely emotional pregnant ladies... hopefully! But today over lunch, Chris said something that made me emotional - nothing extreme like anger or sadness or happiness for that matter, just emotional - and all of the sudden I could not contain the tears welling up in my eyes in the middle of the restaurant. Thankfully, Don Juan's (holla!) was slow at the moment because I'm pretty sure I made Chris look like a creep in the middle of one of Tyler's busiest lunch spots, so thankfully no one was there to see what appeared to be some big guy making a little preggy girl cry... because he didn't. The hormones made me do it. And to make matters worse, there's no control. I can't convey that enough. I can't stop crying to the point that eventually I just start to laugh because it's ridiculous!

Anyway, I'm ready to have my sanity back... does that ever happen? I'm just so grateful I have an amazing husband who sees the absurdity for what it is and can laugh with me... or at me. :)

I Feel Like A Woman

First let me say that Chris is going to be the sweetest Dad. From the get-go, his excitement about having a baby reminds me of the way a child anticipates Christmas Day. While some men have trouble bonding with their newborns, Chris has had no trouble at all and Hannah’s not even here yet!

You may have heard stories of how some Dads-to-be sympathize with their pregnant wives by having unexplained aches and pains or even weight gain. While Chris hasn’t experienced any of the aforementioned symptoms, he’s found other ways to sympathize, though maybe not intentionally. Let’s just say there have been a couple of distinct opportunities where he has been able to mildly experience what women go through to have a child.

As I’ve learned, a lot of Dads don’t or aren’t able to go to all of the prenatal appointments. But I’m proud to say that Chris hasn’t missed a single one. He’s been such a good sport as I’ve asked my doctor a lot of uncomfortable questions (because I’m totally clueless) and he’s actually asked quite a few, too. I would have to say the most awkward moment was during one of our first appointments when the doctor realized I was due for my annual physical. I’m not sure that it clicked with Chris when the word “annual” was mentioned because when she asked if he would like to step outside the room during the exam, he said he was fine and just stayed seated. And just so he got the full experience of what a woman goes through year after year (and really just to be dramatic), I think I winced in pain a little more than usual just for his sake.

On top of being extremely excited and involved, I would definitely consider Chris to be very supportive. In fact, he was one of the only few Dads to attend our breastfeeding class. (Childbirth and nursing classes deserve a blog entry all of their own, so I’ll spare details for now.)

I got a breast pump a few weeks ago, and since the time draws near that I would need it, I decided to put all the parts together just to make sure it all worked and I had everything. Chris was absolutely intrigued. He got down in the floor with me and adjusted the speed and latched one of the funnels on to the inside of his arm. It was really pretty amazing to watch the pump repeatedly suck his arm as he had it turned to MAX.

So then my husband went insane for a moment. And before I knew what he was about to do, he lifted up his shirt and stuck that funnel onto his chest. Yes, he did, while it was still on MAX. And I have to tell you that he screamed out like a little girl. I don’t know if it was out of pain, out of disbelief that his nipple was sucked halfway through the funnel or a little bit of both. But nonetheless, Chris has a new appreciation for breastfeeding.

I must say, Hannah Riley is getting the best Dad.