Hicups

MOM'S OUTTA THE HOUSE!!!

Woke up this morning.....actually was already up this morning when the sun rose. Sara was being fussy and Kelley told me to go surf. She knew that this sitting around the house thing has been driving me crazy and also knew that a good size north swell was due to hit last night. She didn't need to tell me twice. I gave her and my little baby girl a kiss and was out the door.

After a short session I came home and took Sara duty so that Kel could get almost 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep (that is like gold around here). After she woke up she fed Sara and I pushed her out the door. She said she didn't know where to go, so she decided to go to the beach with Tyla.

After she walked out the door I realized that Sara and I were for the first time all alone. This meant that no mean parents to tell us what to do, when to sleep, when to eat, etc... I was so excited to do everything and break all the rules when I realized 2 things, after being up most of the night and day fussing, Sara finally found peace and decided to fall asleep and I am the parent. NOT MUCH FUN THERE!

Oh well I can sit and watch her sleep forever. It's kind of like starring into a fire, it's just hard to explain but it is definitely something that has captivated every little inch of my heart and soul.

I know you guys are probably getting a little fed up with the proud first parent picture thing but oh well...here are some more!!

I haven't wasted even a day teaching Sara to surf. I figure she'll be surfing pipeline by 6 months.

After surfing I gave Sara a bath.
Isn't she absolutely beautiful..Yeah Sara too:)
The outfit says is all, "Princess". I think I may have my hands full.

More Photos...

Here are some more photos of our little bundle of joy :-)

You have to wonder what she looked like in my belly...this looks pretty familiar.

Or this one, she loves to have her hands up by her head and has decided that she DOES NOT like to have her arms swaddled. She will grunt and grown until she somehow gets her arms out of a swaddle. We'll lay her down and within minutes she Houdini's her arms out of a tight swaddle. Lesson learned: I'm going to do what I want too!

Three generations of girls...

Ground Hog's Day

Okay so it has been a few days now. Though Kelley and I are both grown well educated adults it took us a few days to figure out this little baby. We have begun to get into a routine and work as a team to get things done. Though there are small changes to the routine on a daily basis it has begun to seem a little like ground hogs day around here (as Kelley said at 0354 this morning)...

Our days consist of a 1 1/2- 3 hour rotation. That is, every 1 1/2 - 3 hours Sara starts to wake up. She will stretch, make cute faces, and generally just check things out. At this point to feed or not to feed is the big question. Usually she gets fed shortly after waking. This usually takes between 20min to 1 hour. After she is fed the diaper usually needs changing and she is out....just to do it all over again in 1 1/2 - 3 hours.

This routine does not discriminate between day and night so Kelley and I have adopted the 'ol military duty system. During the night Sara has been sleeping pretty well but often times needs a little consoling between feedings. This is were the duty system comes in. Usually we will switch duty on the feeding cycle. So baby wakes, feeds, and then I am on duty until the next feeding. During my watch I will have to do what every needs to be done until the next feed. Sometimes I luck out and get to sleep the whole time...others not so much.

This system has really helped Kelley get some sleep because without knowing that I am on duty at some point, she feels that she can't truly let her guard down and fall asleep. I have suggested that I be on duty full time seeings that she is the feeder but she seems to think it will burn me out.

This process continues throughout the day as well. When baby is sleeping we try to sleep. Kelley's mom is here so there are times throughout the day that we have both been off duty and able to take a quick nap to recharge. This has proven to be VERY helpful.

I am not sure how long this same process will continue but from what I have been told about babies I can only imagine not long, as babies are ever evolving and Kelley and I will need to change much of our routine to accommodate...Oh yeah and then you add that whole go back to work thing that happens in a week.

Here's a couple more pics of Sara.

Sara with MeMe
She likes to sleep with her hands behind her head..what a crack up.
Tyla hasn't quit figured out what to think of her yet. She seems very concerned when she is upset and protective when people come to the door, which can be kindda annoying when we are trying to sleep:) She howls whenever we turn the music on one of Sara's toys (swinger). Gonna have to work on that one.

Update...

We made it home from the hospital on Wednesday! It has been a long road to get here and it feels so good to have Sara home with us. Everyone always told us to make sure and get sleep before the baby arrived and if we could have banked extra sleep we certainly would have. After being up from Saturday night at 11:00 until Sara was born Monday morning at 6:58am (and then for most of the day and night) it sure would have been nice to get a full nights sleep to reset the clock. But here we are, sleep deprived but thrilled to have a beautiful baby girl. That was definitely a traumatic experience that I don't wish to relive but the result is amazing! (Sorry if this isn't coherant...I'm a little out of it right now :-)

The only way to describe the first night home was horrible...we had a fussy little baby (man does she have some serious lungs!!). We think she had a bad case of gas (she already takes after dad :-) and screamed bloody murder the whole night. The good news is that after we survived that, she slept like a champ last night (ok, 2 hour increments seems pretty good to us right now). She is such a bundle of joy and we can already see her changing before our eyes. It's amazing how fast you can fall in love! Ryan is an incredible dad and has jumped right in and is a natural...Sara is definitely daddy's little girl! Here a few more pics for you to enjoy!

Thanks to everyone for their calls and emails. Sorry if we haven't gotten back to everyone, this has been quite the overwhelming experience. We appreciate everyone!

Sara's first car ride..

Mom and Sara

What's up dude? Bundled princess...

Daddy filing her nails...

Daddy's Little Girl

Some of you were asking to see a pic with daddy so here it is.

Mother and child

2nd Photo of Sara

Ryan and Kelley are proud parents of Sara Ryley Hatfield, born today September 22nd.

Sara is 6lbs 15.1oz and 18 inches long.

Sara Ryley Hatfield

Sara Ryley Hatfield was born this morning at 0658. She is a healthy 6 lbs 15.1 oz. I will try to get some pics soon. Kelley and I are really tired after 28 hrs of hard work and adrenaline. Kelley is doing great.

I think it's time

Been having contractions since 11 last night. Pretty much 5 min apart now so we'll be headed to hospital soon...hope it's not a false alarm :-) We'll keep you posted.

Last Weekend as Pre-Parents...

So I guess this is the last weekend being pre-parents...as long as all goes as planned with the induction. I got a call on Friday and we found out that the doc will induce me on Thursday (25th) instead of Friday because the hospital was overscheduled for Friday. That is unless....Baby H decides to enter the world on it's own before then...come on baby! :-) This morning Ryan got up early and went for a run (while I of course slept in...it's kind of sad that 7:00 is considered sleeping in for me). I've been trying to sleep in more now before the baby gets here because EVERYONE (including strangers) tells us how much sleep we need to get now because our sleeping is pretty much over when the baby arrives. You have to love all the great advice people give you. I want to say...no, I'm trying to sleep as little as possible before the baby gets here. Speaking of advice, when I was walking Tyla on the beach the other morning (one of my three daily walks) I had this woman come up to me and ask the usual "when are you due?" question and then asked if I took Lamaze classes. After I told I hadn't, she proceeded to tell me about the whole premise of Lamaze and how I need to FEEL each of the feelings (like burning, cramping, stabbing, etc. you get my point). Wow, how nice of you to give me such a great idea of how labor is going to feel...Thanks for reminding me! Oh the joys of strangers...at least she didn't ask to rub my belly..hahaha!

Anyways...that was kind of an aside (I think baby brain is still with me). After Ryan's run we took Tyla to the beach for our daily swim and went to a movie. It didn't end up being exactly what we expected...Burn after Reading with Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Let's just say it was definitely DIFFERENT than we expected...but still fun to go to a movie. Then to the grocery store to stock up on some food.

Now we're enjoying some down time...Ryan's on the couch snoring as I write this...he's trying to catch up on the precious ZZZ's that everyone keeps telling us about :-)

Other than that, no new action from Baby H! Have a great weekend everyone!

Baby H Update

Went to the doctor this afternoon...and NOTHING has changed!! Ugh! We talked about the options and risks/benefits of waiting to induce. So for now we're going to hold off on getting induced until at least next week. I have another appointment next Thursday but also scheduled to get induced next Friday Sept. 26th. It's easy for me to cancel it but hard to get an appointment (the hospital only allows 2 inductions per day) so we decided to schedule just in case Baby H doesn't come on it's own. I guess she would allow me to go a full two weeks over but the risk of a c-section goes up after a week because of baby passing meconium (stool) and other stuff so we kind of picked in the middle. We're hoping Baby H decides to come on it's own...you hear that Baby!!!

Happy Due Date Baby H!

So today is the official Due Date for Baby H. Not much has changed but I have my weekly appointment today so we'll see what she says. Today would be a cool day to have the baby (hint, hint) because today is our good friend Greg's and Lance Armstrong's birthdays. (Happy Birthday Greg!) I think I've been walking more in the last few weeks than I got to for my entire pregnancy...supposedly it will help get things going...it doesn't seem to be working though...oh well, at least it keeps me somewhat sane. I think everyone in the family and our friends are as anxious as we are right about now. We'll keep you all posted! I figure I can't be pregnant forever...

Dear Baby H...

I know it's really warm and cozy in your mama's tummy and I'm sure you really like being fed whenever you want but I bet your getting kind of cramped in those small quarters. We really want to meet you and I promise we'll keep you warm and cozy and well fed when you decide to enter this world. Your mom's getting a little uncomfortable now and not to mention none of her shirts are fitting over her belly anymore. She is so excited to see you and your dad is really excited too! So whenever you want, we're ready for you! All of your grandparents, great grandparents, and aunties and uncles are getting anxious too and don't worry they're going to spoil you when you arrive!!! We can't wait to meet you!

Lucky we live Hawaii!

I know, I know, everyone always says that...but it's true! Here are some photos we took last week on our morning walk with Tyla. The sunrise was absolutely amazing. We used Ryan's iPhone to take the pictures so it doesn't do it justice but trust me it was beautiful.

The beach this weekend was really beautful. There hasn't been any tradewinds for the last few days which makes for spectacular ocean conditions (crystal clear and glassy) but not so good air conditions. For those of you not familiar with VOG it's what we get here when the trades disappear and sulphur gas from the Big Island (Halemaumau crater) decides to settle in on the island. It leads to spectacular sunrises and sunsets but it's not so good for the lungs I'm sure. Think LA on a smoggy day...yuck! Regardless we made it to the beach both days this weekend and enjoyed the gorgeous water. Still nothing new on Baby H, just getting bigger each day :-)

We took a walk out on the Marine Corp base on Saturday and here are some pictures.

Ryan got kind of creative and took a picture of our foot prints...it's kind of sad that mine looks like they could be for a child...we'll see if baby gets my dinky little feet or not :-)

39 Weeks

Holy Cow! I can't believe I'm 39 weeks. It feels like I've been pregnant FOREVER but at the same time it's crazy that I have made it to 39 weeks because of all the contractions. My uterus must be really strong. I guess one muscle will be strong at the end of this :-) I went in for my weekly check up and not too much has changed. I'm still barely dilated but now I'm 80% effaced....which means...nothing. I still could go into labor today or in another few weeks. Fun stuff. This is teaching me how to be patient and to let go of control BEFORE the baby arrives. Here's a lovely picture of the progress. I think baby is growing, because I sure am!!! I feel HUMONGOUS!

It's True

It looks like the rumors about Lance are true!!

Lance is Coming Back!

Armstrong that is. Rumor has it that Lance Armstrong will be coming out of retirement to compete in road racing again. I guess running marathons isn't cutting it for him anymore. We'll see if it actually transpires, but it will be pretty cool for the cycling community...maybe not for all of them though :-) It sounds like he's going to be publishing all of his blood tests for everyone to see to prove he's drug free. I guess we'll have to watch and see what happens.

According to Velonews.com

"Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement next year to compete in five road races with the Astana team, according to sources familiar with the developing situation. Armstrong, who turns 37 this month, will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France — and will race for no salary or bonuses, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told VeloNews. Armstrong's manager, Mark Higgins, did not respond to questions. However sources close to the story have told VeloNews that an exclusive article on the matter will be published in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, expected later this month.

According to sources, the Texan will post all of his internally tested blood work online, in an attempt to establish complete transparency and prove that he is a clean athlete.

Other rumors are that Armstrong will continue to pursue mountain bike racing, and may try his hand at cyclocross as well.

Armstrong re-enrolled himself into the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s out-of-competition testing pool prior to August’s Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, where he finished second to Dave Wiens, said USA Cycling chief operating officer Sean Petty. USADA rules state that any athlete who wishes to come out of retirement must enroll in the USADA out-of-competition testing program for at least six months in advance of regaining eligible status. "

She Caught It!

We took Tyla to the beach this morning for our usual walk and low and behold she caught the shark!!

Du-nu...Du-nu

As in shark sounds! We went to Kailua Beach park tonight to walk Tyla and when we arrived there were fire trucks all over and no one was in the water. Of course the first thought was a shark sighting....and this time we were right!! I guess a Honolulu Fire Department helicopter was patrolling the area because there was a missing person report in the area (which may or may not be true apparently) and they saw an 8 foot shark showing "aggressive behavior" towards a turtle. Yikes!! Needless to say, they cleared the water and are now patrolling the water to keep an eye on the bugger. I guess it is their ocean and all, but still...that's freaky because we LOVE to swim and surf in the beautiful water...

Status Quo...

Went to the doctor for my weekly checkup today and not much has changed. My cervix has began to soften and I may be "1 cm" dilated...in other words I'm barely dilated so...I could have the baby today or in 3 weeks. So more of the same...hurry up and wait. I'm definitely having more contractions but seeing that I've been having them for 11 weeks now, I don't think that means much. I had three days of super energy where I felt like I could run a marathon (ok maybe not a real marathon) and then I came crashing down yesterday. I thought it might be time but have quickly come to realize that Baby H will come on his/her own time and we'll just have to wait and see :-)

As for Ryan, the south shore has actually had some surf so he got up at 4:30 yesterday and today so he could catch some waves before work and before the arrival of Baby H. He keeps me on pins and needles when he goes just in case Baby H decides to make it's appearance while Dad's surfing :-) Thank goodness it's Friday...for Ryan's sake...everyday is Friday for me!

Yoga Master

Ryan has taken up a new activity that he seems to have perfected quite well. It appears that he is going to be a new master of yoga on the ball...I'm pretty proud of his accomplishments!!

Who knows what was on the TV during this shot :-)

Boredom and Anxiousness...

I'm officially bored (and anxious)...but still trying to enjoy it (especially the peace and quiet)! It was really nice to have Ryan home for three days with Labor Day and all. Ryan was really set on me going into labor on "Labor Day" but that didn't happen...he thought it would be pretty cool. We didn't do too much over the weekend but managed to run a few errands and went to the beach every day. I feel so lucky to live in Hawaii especially when all else fails and we don't have anything to do, we can always head to the beach! Have I already mentioned how good the water feels on my belly and the fact that I feel like an incubator on the high heat setting :-)

Nothing too exciting to post but here's a recent picture of my ever expanding belly. I don't know how my stomach can physically stretch any further but I'm sure it can manage!