Some FAQs...a little late

Lailey on Davey's lap

Daddy reading the "Bunny Book" to Lailey

Grandpa and Lailey

Granddaddy and Lailey

Okay, so I know we haven't talked to a lot of people lately due to the excitement and busyness in our life lately.  But I wanted to try to get another post up here.  I figured I'd do another round of FAQs to answer the questions people have been asking.  If you think of anything else, let me know.  Oh, and someday I will eventually get my birth story posted.  

To begin, Lailey Claire Akin was born on April 7, 2009.  She was 8 lbs. 0.4 oz, and was 20.5 inches long.  So much for "measuring small!"  See, petite people can have normal sized babies.  

WHERE DID WE GET HER NAME?  "Lailey" was Davey's great-grandmother's name.  We loved the name when we heard it, but we changed the spelling a little.  "Claire" was a favorite of ours and fit well with "Lailey."

IS SHE SLEEPING AT NIGHT?  Right now she's doing a pretty good stretch at night, especially if I keep her feedings on a pretty consistent schedule during the day.  She eats REALLY well.

HOW'S RUDY DOING WITH LAILEY?  Well, as you can see from the video I posted previously, he really loves her.  He hasn't shown any jealousy or over-protectiveness.  I think it stresses him out a little to have her cry.  He sort of looks at me like, "Can you fix it?"  He still gets really excited when we have visitors, but other than that he's doing great.  We've tried to make sure his life is still fairly normal.  In fact, Davey took him on a good run this morning.  

ARE WE ENJOYING BEING PARENTS?  Totally.  We're in awe every day of how beautiful, sweet, adorable, cute, precious, and incredible she is.  We can't get enough kisses and cuddles.   

ARE THE GRANDPARENTS LOVING THIS?  Haha, to say the least.  

WHO DO WE THINK SHE LOOKS LIKE?  Hands down, she looks just like her Daddy, especially when she's sleeping.  She's like a little girly version of him.  Everyone says she has his nose and lips.  But, she has my hair.  I'm happy I got something!  Davey says he's starting to see more of me in her when she's awake.  

DID WE EVER THINK WE COULD LOVE SOMEONE SO MUCH?  No.  It's just one of those things you have to experience to understand the feeling.  It almost brings tears to my eyes.  

So, I can't think of anything else at the moment.  

Puppy Love

I can't believe we captured this much cuteness on our camera.  I hope it warms everybody's heart, because it does mine!  Sorry we haven't posted anything lately.  I need to get some new photos on here of our girl because she changes so much every day.  But all you parents out there know how hard it is to find time to balance everything.  

In short, we are doing great.  Lailey is growing and eating really well.  We're getting some sleep, which is better than nothing.  Basically, we're loving being parents, challenges and all.  I try to enjoy every moment because I know she'll be grown before we know it.

WOW

http://www.ponderedmomentsphotography.com/

http://jenniferbreinig.typepad.com/my_pondered_moments/

Wow is all we can say.  A dear friend, Jennifer Breinig, came to our house on Tuesday and transformed our tiny living room into a studio.  She worked her magic for hours to get these amazing pictures of our dear little Lailey- who we now know does not like to be naked or messed with...or both at the same time!  This is just a preview of the session, so there's even more to come.  I cried when I saw them.  Davey and I are so in love!

Check out Jennifer's blog and website to see more of her incredible work.  When we find something great, we like to pass the word.  

Happy Resurrection Day

Happy Resurrection Day from Davey, Sarah, Lailey, and Rudy.

Thank you, Uncle Eli, for taking the beautiful pictures.

We have all been doing well, enjoying the visitors, trying to catch some sleep, and falling in love with our baby girl. She's beyond beautiful, and we are so captivated by her. She is most awake in the afternoon between feedings. She will keep her gorgeous blue eyes open for a long time and appear to check everything out around her. It's incredible how alert she is. Also, she loves to eat! In fact, she's doing that right now. Talk about multi-tasking: I've got a very happy baby, a Boppy pillow, and a laptop all on my lap! Picture that one.

Last night we gave Lailey her first sponge bath. As I suspected, she did not like it and let us know about it! She has good lungs, that's for sure. Once we were done she and I cuddled for a little while to calm her down, and soon all was well again. Today we are headed to the pediatrician for Lailey's newborn check-up. The weather has been beautiful since we brought her home, but today it's pouring down rain. It should be an interesting first outing.

Sweet Moments

I only have a second, but I wanted to post a picture of the world's most beautiful baby girl.  She is laying on her Daddy's chest right now before I get her back to finish nursing.  It's funny how at 2:40 am in the morning, nothing else really matters.  

IT'S A GIRL!!!

IT'S A GIRL!! Announcing the birth of Lailey Claire Akin, born 4/7/09 at 2:39 pm, 8 lbs. and 20.5 inches. We're all doing great!

Sorry, But No News is Simply Just That

Prego's still here! I know all of you are dying for the big day to come. Trust me, so are we! I think I'll just blog today not necessarily out of boredom, but just for something interesting to do. First things first...appointment.

I had a very loooooong OB appt. today because at this point they want to do fetal monitoring and tests just to make sure the baby is still thriving in the uterine environment. Well, don't you know that Baby does not prefer to be monitored, so he/she wiggled around a lot making it hard to get an uninterrupted reading! All the movement is GREAT...just makes it more difficult for the doctor to see what she needs to see since the machine kept losing the heart rate when Baby moved a bunch. Haha. It was kind of funny actually. After that excitement, the doctor did an ultrasound to check amniotic fluid levels and check for practice breathing and movement (no question on the last one!). Fluid was great, baby wiggled nicely and did the practice breathing. Since I don't want to be induced and the baby looks good, we're still waiting! (I know this is killing all you impatient ones out there.)

Okay...so let's see what else is going on...Oh! I was SO proud of myself the other day because I painted my toenails! It was an interesting act of contortion, but they actually turned out really good. The color was darker than I thought - more purple than pink - but I am not going through the effort to remove it and find a lighter shade.

I thought of an interesting title for a book which I will never write, but these are the things I think of when I have time on my hands. "How to Make the World Revolve Around You...Or Just Make Life Interesting." Here are the ways:
1. Get pregnant - That always works. People are obsessed with babies.
2. Wait a long time to start showing - Everyone always has an opinion about your belly, and they're quite obsessed with it getting round.
3. Stay pregnant until your due date - When people asked me last Sunday when I was due, I debated telling them a vague answer such as "any day now" or just saying "today." I chose the latter and enjoyed the surprised looks on their faces.
4. Go past your due date - (This one's my favorite) People seem to think that if you're overdue, the baby will simply drop right out of you, right there on the floor, with absolutely NO prior warning! They look so nervous! Come on people, this doesn't happen. But again, I love the surprised looks on their faces. I think this entertainment alone makes being overdue much more bearable.
5. Call your friends and family to chat about normal things - They will undoubtedly pick up the phone freaking out thinking you are in labor. My sister now insists that I start phone conversations with "Hi, I'm not in labor."
6. Go farther past your due date - Now your family and friends put in their "requests" as to when you should go into labor. Their schedules suddenly revolve around you. Any plans made include a disclaimer: We're going to.....unless of course you have the baby by then. I tell them to tell Baby and he/she can decide whose wishes to honor.
7. Maybe I'll think of some more later...if I don't have the baby by then ;)

Okay, that's it for now. I might just post twice in a day if I feel the urge.