Happy New Year

Well, we had a wonderful first christmas with Harper. As you probably expected, she received so many gifts from family, friends and of course, Santa Claus! We can't believe our little girl is almost 6 weeks old!

Harper has become a lot more alert when she is awake and will even crack a spontaneous smile or two when you talk to her. Some say it's just gas making her smile but I'd like to think she's lovin on her mama! One of my Christmas gifts was a Sleepy Wrap which is what my brother is so wonderfully displaying below and she snuggles up to me while I'm cleaning, doing laundry etc. She could sleep 5 horus straight in this thing if I'd let her and it really helps out on the fussy days!



Gigi and Poppa



Mimi and Pawpaw



Mama and Baby



Tired little angel



The Nail Family

Tis the Season

Things are finally settling down in the Nail household! Harper is beginning to get on somewhat of a routine and mom is getting about 2 - 3 hours of sleep at a time through the night. All in all her schedule is pretty predictable and it makes my life much easier! I took Harper out to see our photographer, Jennifer Knapp, and got some pretty amazing shots for her newborn photos. We were there for three hours trying to get Harper to sleep and stay asleep. Every time the camera would flash her little eyes would pop open. I had a chance to see two of the pictures so we could choose a picture for the announcements and they look fabulous! We have had a few firsts since I blogged last....

First bath






Harper's First Snow, Although we couldn't go outside!



Daddy's First Time to Feed a Bottle








And Mom Trying to be a Photographer...

2 Weeks

Harper is two weeks old and it seems just yesterday we were in the OR awaiting her arrival. Parenthood has been so wonderful -- even with the 20 changings a day, sleepless nights and constant feedings, I wouldn't trade it for the world! Grant and I couldn't imagine life without her. The dogs are finally adjusting to her being our number one priority and most of all I'm not feeling bad about them "moping" around the house. Despite Grant not being around children like I have, he is an awesome father. He breezes through diaper changes, baths, cooks, cleans -- you name it. I am so very lucky!

Yesterday Harper had her two week checkup with Dr. Lange. She was 21 inches long, had a noggin measurement of 14.25" and weighed 9 lbs 2 oz -- a 25 oz gain in 9 days - Wow!! Harper is in the 75th percentile for her height, weight and head circumference. Dr. Lange was very impressed with her gain since she had lost almost a pound in the hospital. She also had her second PKU test - tear - but it actually wasn't that bad. I don't like hearing her cry from being poked by the doctors!








Today Houston had some out of the ordinary weather -- SNOW! It was weird to see it consistently falling rather than a snowflake here and there. Only in Houston will we have snow on Friday and a predicted high of 70 degrees for Monday. It' no wonder were not sick all of the time!

Special Delivery

A week has gone by since our precious baby girl was born. Motherhood has been everything I thought it would be and more -- absolutely wonderful! Grant and I catch ourselves staring at Harper constantly and are reminded what a miracle it is for us to have her. I wanted to rewind a bit and tell you about our experience during the delivery....

Thursday, November 19th, Grant and I packed our bags into the truck and headed to Woman's Hospital. I was anxious, nervous and excited all at the same time and I could tell Grant was too. This after all would be a huge turning point in our lives -- one that we had anticipated for way too long. I couldn't believe the time was actually here! We checked in at the nurses station and had to wait in a holding area for almost an hour. This hour felt like five and I was getting very antsy! Mom, Dad and Michelle came up to labor and delivery to see us before I went in for surgery. Bittersweet I'll tell you.... dad can make me cry at the drop of a hat and I knew the waterworks would be flowing. Our nurse finally came by and it was time for Harper to make her debut! Relief, anxiety and happiness flooded my my mind. Grant had to go back to the holding area while I received the epidural in the operating room and he says that felt like an eternity. I had a little hiccup with the epidural -- I didn't like the fact that I couldn't feel my chest rise and fall and I kept telling them I wasn't breathing. Weird and scary feeling I'll tell you. They gave me a Little epinephrine to calm my nerves and we were on our way. Grant came in and they had already started the incision. The next thing I knew I heard the precious cry of Harper Caroline Nail. She was born at 12:32 pm, weighing 7 lbs 12 oz and 19.75 inches long - PERFECT! Daddy got to go stand by her warmer and she must have felt like she was in Hollywood. I told him to take all the pictures that he could and I don't think he missed a shot. Harper cried and cried as they did her apgar scoring etc -- she was one upset little girl. When they were done mom and dad finally got to hold their little girl. She was beautiful -- as swollen as she was -- she was perfectly and wonderfully made.

After an hour or so in recovery I was wheeled to my post-partum room and my parents and mother-in-law were able to join us. Harper had to be in the nursery for four hours but at 4:30pm the nurses brought her to my room and I was able to really hold her for the first time. I smelled her, loved her, kissed her - you name it. I couldn't believe that I actually was holding my daughter, what a blessing -- what a miracle!

I am still waiting on the pictures from my maternity shoot and wanted to at least post the one that I have already received a print of. By the time I get the others I will no longer be pregnant! Enjoy!

Patiently Waiting

We went in for our 39 week check up and I still do not have a favorable cervix. Not saying that I won't but she's not ready to come today. As I mentioned before that can all change in a blink of an eye though. I am hoping for sooner than later as I am getting to the point where it is extremely uncomfortable for me. The swelling has kicked in -- thank goodness it did not come earlier -- and I feel like my skin is about to bust open. Rest is the doctors orders, ha ha, so I am trying to be good about that. Harper weighs 7 lbs 6 oz right now, has no hair and chubby cheeks. The no hair thing is not a surprise to me since I was bald until I was three. No worries, I have already stocked up on the dresses, headbands and bows.

We have finally gotten everything in for the nursery and it looks fabulous! Every day I go into the nursery trying to find something to put away or organize or just sit in the glider and think about how life is about to change for us. Grant is really excited/anxious and so am I.

Harper's Arrival

Just wanted to send everyone a quick update on our most recent appointment with Dr. Plavidal. As you all know we are no longer scheduled for a c-section on November 10th since they cleared me for a vaginal delivery. Our hope is to go into labor on our own however he said if I don’t deliver by Nov 25th then I will have a c-section on November 25th, the day before Thanksgiving. He said I am not dilated as of yet but also said that can change in a day’s time and I could deliver any day. Hopefully sooner than later :)

PS I posted pics from our shower below.

Love,
Krystal

BaByQ

Our families threw us a shower last weekend and we couldn't have asked for a better day! We had several of our friends and family over to celebrate Harper's impending arrival. The company was perfect, the decor was perfect and God blessed us with beautiful weather. Thank you to all of those who were able to make it out for our special celebration. Please continue to pray for a quick and healthy delivery for us.

Enjoy the pictures below!

Shoot and Deliver

Sooo, I finally got my maternity pictures back and they turned out way better than I thought they would! We will order pics this week and I will be able to share them with you.

As for news on the delivery, we have been cleared for a vaginal delivery after all. At first we were hesitant on this decision because we had come to terms on the c-section being the best option to avoid uterine rupture. We know that Dr. P would never put me in any danger if he wasn’t 100% sure on his decision so we are confident that things will be okay. We have one additional consultation on Monday to "seal the deal". I am not allowed to be induced at all so we will just have to wait until God is ready to bring this young lady into the world. She is measuring a week ahead at this point so hopefully she comes the week of November 16thor else we might have a chunky monkey on our hands!

Meet My Friend Braxton

Good ole Mr. Braxton hicks has visited me almost every day lately. Good thing he only stays around for 30 seconds or so! This past week Harper had a nice little growth spurt and is weighing in at 5 lbs 8 oz. Looks like we'll have little bit bigger baby than originally predicted. We thought we would have a delivery date to report but no such luck. Grant will be coming to my next visit and hopefully we can get my c-section on the calendar.

This past weekend my oldest, younger sister got married in Victoria. It rained the whole week leading up to the wedding but God blessed us with a beautiful but chilly morning and they were able to carry on their wedding on the golf course as planned. Here is a pic of the beautiful bride

The Crib is Here!

So today Grant went to pick up the crib from the distribution center for Baby's 1st and came home right away to put it together. He was trying to surprise me and have it ready by the time I got home -- quite impressive -- but he needed me for the very end. The nursery is slowly coming together :) Here are a few pics (I couldn't resist) I also included the glider and chandelier we picked out. Now I just need to figure out what color crib sheet to get.

Soccer

This past weekend we kept Landon while Mom and Todd celebrated Todd's birthday. Grant and I experienced our first "little league" soccer game at 8:15 am on a Saturday. Yippee, welcome to almost parenthood, right? Here are a few shots of him playing....

Showered With Love

Today three wonderful ladies from my office threw me a baby shower. They went above and beyond all that I could have asked for. It was good food, good people and a nice break from it all. I am so blessed to have the friendship of so many great people from my office. Grant and I are so grateful for the many gifts that were bought for us and Harper. I think it's all sinking in that we a having a BABY soon! EXCITING!!

Julie, Me, Melissa & Elissa (the hostesses)



All of My Lady Friends



Me and My Pretty Mama




Shirley, Shannon & Amanda



Kim, Me and Julie




Kim, Laurie and Janice



Elissa, Sherry and Me



All of my fabulous loot!

3D Ultrasound

We FINALLY got a few good pictures at the 3D ultrasound place this evening. Harper looks so cute and we cannot wait to meet her. Some other wonderful news we received was that she is no longer breech. Last night I told Grant she was sitting sideways and I was SO uncomfortable. Now her hiney is pushing up on my ribs and I can feel her tail bone at times -- oh, the pressure! Here are a few pics from tonight!



Her Tiny Hands



And Her Tiny Feet



Our Sweet Baby Girl

8 Weeks and counting!

I have been dragging my feet on updating the blog.... some days I just feel brain dead. I have so much to write about and can't seem to get it out right.

We had a good appointment this week and a little surprise. Dr. P thinks it will be best for me to have a c-section so we do not risk uterine rupture from my surgery scar. He is going to meet with my surgeon one more time but for now, I am preparing myself for the big C. Harper is sitting nice and comfy in her breech position and has about 2 more weeks to turn or else it would more than likely be a c-section any way. Her position hasn't changed since we were 15 weeks so I'm not seeing why she would move now.... she loves giving her mama a noogie with her head in my ribs :) November 10th is our tentative C-section date. My body has really changed in the last month. The belly keeps getting further and further out but the weight gain has been kept under control, whew! 18 pounds so far and he said to expect another 8 - 10 pounds until I deliver. I can handle that!

Grant and I are in our third week of child birth classes and it has been quite interesting. I’ll have to start out with the fact that we have the cheesiest, most quirky instructor ever. As if me pretending to be in labor, panting in Grant’s face, while he calls the breathing pattern shots with his hand gestures is not enough. We just laugh at each other but it has been informative as well. Last week we had the pleasure of watching a full blown birth as our class video – even I was squinting my eyes at certain parts….their patient selection didn’t help either – I’ll just leave it at that! We begin our Infant CPR class and breastfeeding class soon.

We are making a little headway on the nursery. Furniture has been ordered and everything has been chosen; it’s just a matter of getting it all in and arranged. I have my maternity photo session next weekend so I am really looking forward to getting those back and sharing them.

Hope everyone is doing well! xo

75 Days....

Can you believe we are only 75 days away from Harper's arrival? I cannot!!

I had a really good appointment this past Monday. Harper weighs 2 lbs 14 oz and is growing so perfectly. Dr. P guesses that she'll weigh about 7 lbs. 7 oz when she is born if she continues on the same growth pattern -- and here we were thinking I was going to have a 10 lb baby. Thank goodness I'm not! My weight gain is up to 14 lbs in 7 months and my blood pressure was back to normal so no bed rest in my future so far :) We also had the glucose screening done and everything came back normal on that - yay! Moving along with no road bumps and that, I love. We will continue the progesterone shots until I'm 34 weeks so just 5 weeks left on getting poked. I'd have to say that needles don't even phase me anymore -- see dad, all you have to do is go through pregnancy to lose that wonderful Martin extreme dislike for needles. For those of you who don’t know, just the sight of a needle would make me pass out. In fact, one time I had the duty of taking my sister, Michelle, to the podiatrist for an ingrown toenail. We were in the room and all the sudden they’re sticking her TOE with a giant needle and she’s screaming. Guess who ended up on the floor?? ME! A phone call was made to mom and suddenly one patient turned into two. Yowza! Funny to talk about now though.

We have made some progress on the nursery but nothing really pertaining to the nursery if that makes sense. Remember my post about it being the "dump room" well, that is what we have been working on. Almost ready for the furniture to arrive 

She Get it From Her Mama

So.... I know you all are anxiously awaiting the photos from our ultrasound on Thursday. Well, little miss Harper seems to be a stubborn little girl and insisted on still having those knees literally touching her nose. Although she wasn't supposed to, the ultrasound tech printed off two microscopic pictures for me to show everyone and scheduled round three in hopes of getting a better look. As I was reading through one of my baby magazines last night it stated that around 28 weeks the baby gets into the typical fetal position -- knees to the chest -- and I thought, well this must indicate that she's just ahead of the game, still measuring early and probably long like her handsome daddy.

Below the 2D is just a profile pic and the 3D is her face on the right and her beautiful knee on the left. Even though we weren't able to get a full view of her face, I'm sure the world noticed as Grant and I fell deeper in love with God's miracle. He has chosen such a beautiful little girl for us and we are so very proud!






Grant and I are still getting ready for Harper's arrival. Each weekend we try to take one project at a time and really organize things. I even have my label maker here, lol. I'm such a nerd -- I know.


Clear Channel has kept Grant very busy these days however he has been so good about balancing work and family and for that I am forever grateful. I personally know how easy it is to let work consume your entire life.

We have an OB check tomorrow then another ultrasound scheduled for August 31st and Sept 3rd. Hopefully will have some fun info to share with you then.

Love, love.