Life with Haley

Hey! I know it’s been a couple weeks since we’ve updated the website but we’ve been busy admiring our precious little girl. Haley is doing really well and is such a happy baby. We are truly blessed to have a laid back and easily entertained little one. The first two weeks she slept almost non-stop with breaks in her nap only to eat and be changed. This gave me plenty of time to catch up on sleep, laundry, cleaning, and even a little cooking. (If you have any great recipes, send them my way, I’m sure Hayden is getting sick of my limited menu already!) We take walks almost every day and the weather has been gorgeous here in Tennessee. I love living in the south! It’s already 80′ and it’s not even April yet.

Hayden’s Mom and Dad came for an extended visit and were a big help around the house. Hayden’s Dad took care of the lawn, planted flowers, and fixed up a few things around the house. Hayden’s Mom was busy helping with the baby, cooking great meals, and doing some laundry. It was nice to have them here and to see how excited they are to be grandparents. Both did their share of diaper changing! Laura and Ryan were able to make a weekend visit too. Laura couldn’t stay away and was actually here a few days later to hold little Haley one more time! We’ve had lots of visitors but we don’t mind because we’re excited to introduce Haley to everyone. All of our friends have been so supportive throughout the pregnancy so it’s only right to see the outcome of all our waiting!

My Grandma Dee and Aunt Peggy have made the trip from St. Louis already and Grandma Dee will be back for Easter. We got a four generations picture that is really neat. I’m sure we’ll take several more, she’s planned several trips in the upcoming months. My Mom swings by the house regularly and we’re always happy to see her. Haley likes to sleep when she comes, I don’t think my Mom has seen her eyes open more than a few times. It’s so nice having family in town though, we got to have lunch with my Dad last week and KJ plans to stop by after school as often as possible.

Haley had her first doctor’s visit at two weeks. She was back at her birth weight, plus two onces. This was a relief because it let me know that she is eating the right amount and growing at a steady pace. My saddest day so far was her growing out of her newborn-sized diapers and into stage 1. I wasn’t sad too long because she’s been smiling a lot and that is the most adorable sight ever! She’s not quite smiling in response to anything, except maybe filling her diaper, but I don’t think it will be long. Haley is sleeping well and we only have to get up with her once or twice each night, and that’s with about four hours of rest in between each feeding. Like I said, we are very lucky! Being a Mom is the greatest experience and I’m so happy every minute. Hayden is a great Dad and loves being able to come home for lunch to spend time with us during the day.

I’m adding some new pictures of her first bath and other shots we’ve taken of her.

Haley’s Home

We made it home from the hospital and it has been a wonderful two days.  We kept Haley in the room with us our last night in the hospital and it was a long night.  She slept most of that day and was up all night…no sleep for this new set of parents!  The good news is, she was eating regularly.  Because we were up all night, we were ready to leave once morning came.  I took a shower and put regular clothes on and felt like a million dollars!  It’s amazing what a nice long shower can do for a person!

Hayden and I were so excited to bring our little Haley home!  We showed Haley her room and emptied the car.  Our house looks beautiful with all the flowers we were sent.  And Hayden’s parents stocked us with a few groceries before they left which was very nice to come home too…groceries meaning a ton of diapers and wipes too!  Since we were exhausted, we quickly found time to take a nap!  We felt a ton better when we woke up.  Our goal for our first day home was rest and make sure Haley slept in her crib by herself for a good portion of the day.  That’s where we went wrong in the hospital…she didn’t know how to sleep unless someone was holding her…not that we would have been able to put her down- she’s way too cute and cuddly for that.  Last night we got a lot of rest.  Hayden and I make a great team- I get up with her when she needs to eat, he gets up with her for diaper changes.  We understand that the trick is to sleep when she sleeps!

We appreciate all the visitors, phone calls, and emails.  Forgive us if we haven’t called/written you back- try again soon.  We’re getting little more time on our hands now that we’ve got our bearings down a little bit.  We’d love for you to see Haley, so give us a call and let us know when you’d like to come.  We’re feeling great and believe it or not, the house is still clean!  Plus, we want to show Haley off!

Most of all we appreciate your thoughts and prayers.  Every one of our prayers have been answered and then some.  God is so good and has blessed this little family to the fullest.  We couldn’t be happier and more in love with our gift from above.  Haley and I are healthy and feeling great.  We had exceptional care at the hospital.  Hayden and I are more than overwhelmed by the love and support our friends have shown us.  Thanks again for making this a joyful time in our lives and making us feel so special.

Welcome Haley

We’d like to welcome the arrival to Haley Michelle Simons into the world. Haley arrived on March 6th at 2:34 p.m. She weighed in at a health 8 pounds 11 ounces and was 21 inches long. She’s got quite a set of cheeks on her! Labor went very well. We went into the hospital on Monday evening. They started to induce at 4 a.m. on the 6th. Most of the time was spent just talking. I stayed the night before with Laura and neither of us got much rest. So between conversations, we snoozed. Laura started off at 4 a.m. with Stadol. It didn’t sit too well with her. It made her really nauseous. Luckily it wore off around 6 and we got the epidural rolling. Laura took it like a champ!

From then on, no pain whatsoever. When she was finally dialated all that she needed to be, it was about 2:10. 25 minutes later we had a little munchkin. We’ll have tons to write and many, many more pictures over the next couple of decades, but wanted to get something out as soon as possilbe. Now, without further ado, Haley Michelle Simons: