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About Me

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Western North Dakota , United States
My husband, Allen, and I are high school sweet hearts. We started dating Sep.99'- I kind of followed Allen home one day, and never did leave, is Allen's story. November 02' we were engaged, and on November 22,2003 - we were married. Having been married for 6 years in 2009, marked the 5th year we had been trying to start our family. With the referral of a Fertility Specialist from a friend, our IUI attempts ended up being a complete success despite my doubts. We welcomed our sweet little girl, Hayleigh into the world on June 30,2010 at 6:28am after 37wks and 1 day of gestation. She weighed 7lbs 14oz and was 20 in long. We found out that we were Baby #2 on April Fool's Day- a complete surprise! Reid Allen was born 11/13/12 3:24am 9lbs 8.2oz 21", after 38wks 5 days. Our 3rd baby, Eva Jane, was born on April 19, 2015 after suffering a pregnancy loss June of 2014. We are currently anxiously awaiting baby #4 due 2 days before Eva's birthday, so we are having Irish Twins! Our family is so blessed and happy to be growing!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

3 MONTHS ALREADY!!??

Doesn't even seem possible does it? Tomorrow our little stinker will be 3 months old! "Stinker Dink" seems to have stuck to what I call Hayleigh as a little nickname, and it was not at all intentional. My nickname I was given when I was little was Pooh Bear- my dad always has to give a special name to everything, and I guess I am just as guilty of this.

Last night, after we got home, I laid Hayleigh down in her crib since she was still sleeping, and clearly didn't take much of a nap. She had slept for around a half hour, then I began to hear her babbling to herself in her crib- probably telling her mobile how it was, and then I would hear a little GEEGEE! Her little giggle sure can lite a room on up!

I just got Hayleigh's 3 month pictures booked for a week from Friday now, and I am soo excited to get some new pictures of her up on our "Hayleigh Shrine" wall. I swear only 2 of those pictures have someone in the picture besides Hayleigh- how conceded are we?

I know every new parent thinks their child is soo "advanced", but, we really do, and joke about it all of the time. I have confirmed this with the "What to Expect the First Years" book. Hayleigh can do everything a 4 month old should be able to do, minus grasping a rattle and shaking it. She is very alert, and always wants to know what is going on. She expresses this with complaining and throwing a fit if she is not constantly looking at something new- often getting bored quite easily. Hayleigh can hold her head up straight and at a full 90 degrees while lying on her belly very well too! Numerous people have commented after they found out how old Hayleigh is that she can hold her head up very well! We have noticed this also. She really likes to be stood up and held, with her supporting herself with her legs. She is such a strong little girl, and I am afraid that she will take after both Mommy and Daddy and be walking before she is 10 months old.

Hayleigh has really taken to watching Baby Praise DVDS while I get ready for work in the morning, after her first feeding. I know the songs drive Allen crazy, but, I have caught myself humming or singing the songs in my head from time to time- very catchy.

It is just really hard to believe that our little baby is growing up soo darn fast!

Monday, September 27, 2010

It's been a LONG time....

Yes, I know I haven't been on here in a really LONG time now... a month! Hayleigh is growing like a weed, literally! She is now in her 3-6 month clothes, and will now be 3 months on Thursday. It is really just amazing how fast she has grown, and started new things. She is playing with her play palace now, hitting the toys that hang down above her. Her grins have turned into the biggest sweet smiles you have ever seen, always with a little giggle following soon after. Hayleigh can hold her head up very well, and can now hold herself up and push up on her elbows- I have pictures I will have to upload later. She is fascinated with the Baby Praise DVDs my aunt, brought her. Really this whole last month is amazing, because just two months ago, she was not smiling  or making the facial expressions that now melt our hearts. I am very proud of Hayleigh's sleep schedule even after I have started back to work- a week ago now. She goes to sleep for the night at 9:30pm, and then she is up around 7:30- 8am with her babbling over the monitor talking away to the mobile above her head. Toby, our smaller min pin LOVES Hayleigh, and is ohh so careful with her. It really is amazing just how careful Missy and Toby are around Hayleigh, it is like they know she is so fragile. Toby will belly crawl up to Hayleigh's feet when I am sitting with her on the floor, and roll onto his back, wanting her to pet him. I will help Hayleigh stoke Toby's back, and you can just see it in his eyes how much he loves it, and is just thrilled that she is watching him and touching him now. Missy still observes from afar, I am sure that once Hayleigh can give belly rubs, and Missy figures this out, she will be Hayleigh's dog through and through.

One thing I find funny that has not changed since having Hayleigh is how emotional I get. I tear up at the smallest things I find or think about. For instance, I can hear a song on the radio, think of Hayleigh, and then it is water works from there on out. I think about Christmas time, buying clothes for that time, or her first Halloween, and bumble bee trick or treat costume, and start crying like a big baby. Last night, I was showing my step mom the personalized video of Santa that was made for Allen's 4 year old cousin, and started tearing up, thinking just how much fun it will be to see her eyes light up at Christmas time too. I really am starting to tear up while writing this too. I thought that once my hormones we lined back out, and adjusted, that this kind of stuff would go away, but, it has not. I guess I am still in denial that we are where we are now...a year ago, I was a very bitter person, upset with everyone and everything because of our failed round of IUI, but, a year later, and I couldn't be any happier! Funny how much can change in a year...

Ohh, on a good note, one of my friends that was going to the same fertility specialist as we were, had her twins almost 2 wks ago now. Like us, she lost one of her babies at exactly 7wks too- she was having triplets, and we were having twins. I am soo happy the babies and her family are all doing well. They were only a little over 2 lbs a piece, and she had been hospitalized for over 6 weeks before they were born at 28 weeks gestation. Everyone I have known that was struggling for a family, now has or is expecting now. I really would love to bottle up some of this water from around us and save it for when we are ready to start trying for baby # 2! Hopefully next time will not be as hard, or as long of a wait. Our plan for the time being is to wait until Hayleigh is around a year old, before we start trying again- shooting for a spring or winter baby this time, so I can be off for the holidays since we cannot take off during that time at my work.

In other news, there is only one thing that breaks my heart anymore... people playing favorites already. We really did expect this to happen with the people that are involved, so it is not such a big surprise all in all. I just hope that the people that are doing this remember that Hayleigh is here too, and she is not left out like someone else that is very dear to me was though out their life too. Hayleigh was constipated really bad a few weeks ago, and was screaming from pain, and they did not even write on facebook, or call to see how Hayleigh was doing. It just really has surprised me that they have not been concerned with some of the things that have happened enough to call, or to even just check in to see how things are going with Hayleigh. I guess since we have facebook, and I keep up on it with pictures and updates, they feel that is enough for them. Everyone had been checking in at least once a week with us, until Hayleigh was 6 weeks old, then, a few of them just disappeared. One of them was constantly bringing strangers to the hospital when Hayleigh was born, and then out to our house. It always seems to happen every time we get together though. And, especially now, with the circumstances at hand, it was a given that this would happen. At least, we have the people that care about us and Hayleigh close at hand, whether it be by phone/computer or here at home with us. Really there is nothing to complain about, Hayleigh really is one spoiled little girl already.