2 months, 8 weeks, or 56 days old….

Emma Jo is officially 2 months old as of today!  I cannot believe how quickly these past 2 months have gone -- feels like just yesterday I was waiting (rather impatiently) for her arrival!

She continues to amaze Joey and I daily -- I don't know how it happens, but with each day I feel like I couldn't possibly love her anymore, but then the next day I seem to find a way to love her even more than I did the day before!  Amazing how much your heart grows once you have a child (and you seem to understand even more the love your parents have for you!).  All in all, these past 2 months have been the most rewarding, exciting, nerve-wracking, fulfilling, and loving months of my life and I am so excited to watch her continue to grow!

She now is awake a lot more than she used to be which is so much fun!  Don't get me wrong, she still LOVES to sleep and continues to sleep through the night (from about 11:30 pm to 5:30/6am)… lets just hope that continues to stay that way!

She now smiles when she looks at you and recognizes Joey and I when we talk and smile at her -- so rewarding when you get her to give you her big gummy grin! :)  She has also recently began "talking" when she is really happy and just kicks and pumps her arms like crazy!  She LOVES her playmat and staring up at all of her "friends" as we call them (a lion, elephant, monkey, and giraffe).  Here's a pic of her looking right at the camera while playing at Grandma Kate and Grandpa Larry's house last week :)

I took her to get her photos taken professionally for the first time today (she does not like being messed with and does not pose well, so I had been putting this off expecting her to just throw a big fit like she normally does… she did great though!)  Here are my favorites from the session today (she is in her Easter dress)!

I just can't get over how stinkin' cute she is!!! (I'm biased, I know)

We will be heading to KC for Emma's first Easter to spend it with Joey's family.  They are very excited to see her in her dress and Easter bonnet :)

We hope that everyone has a WONDERFUL EASTER!

Love, Carlie, Joey, and Emma Jo

Emma Jo Hajduch

Hello everyone!  Sorry it has taken me so long to post (being a mommy is hard work!).  :)

As you know, Miss Emma Jo Hajduch joined the world on February 23, 2011 at 4:27 pm!  She was a BIG girl -- 9 lbs. 2 oz. and 20.5 in. long (taking after her mommy who was a whopping 9 lbs. 3 oz.).

Emma is such a wonderful baby and she amazes Joey and I daily!  Really, she sleeps 95% of the day, so that's why I had to capture a little bit of her awake time on video (although she isn't doing anything interesting in it, I just love seeing her baby blues!).  This is us doing tummy time last night:

It is hard to believe that our little girl is going to be 1 month old tomorrow!  Where does the time go?!  It really has me freaked out at how quickly she is going to grow up :(  I know with each phase/age she goes through will come new and exciting things, but I am just enjoying her being a newborn so much (minus me panicking at every little sound she makes, constantly checking on her at night to make sure she's still breathing, and all of the "unknowns" I get so paranoid about)!!

As I mentioned, she sleeps ALL OF THE TIME!  I have to strip her down to wake her up for feedings (try to do about every 3 hours, except at night I just let her sleep until she wakes me up).  Once she's stripped down, she fusses, I feed her for 5-7 minutes, she falls asleep.  Then I have to do something to wake her up again (change her diaper, mess with her a little), then if we're lucky she'll eat for 10 more minutes (with breaks).  It is a big ordeal and lots of work, but all worth it!  I scheduled a weight check for this Thursday just to make sure she is gaining correctly -- fingers crossed!

Joey is such a great daddy!!  I love watching the two of them together -- he absolutely adores her and I'm so blessed to be the wife of such a wonderful man :)  

As for me, I absolutely love being a mom!  I wouldn't change a thing!  I just look at her and can't believe how beautiful she is and that she is actually here!  She is so amazing and I am so lucky :)

Many of you are probably wondering how our naughty pups are adjusting -- well, we really couldn't ask for them to be much better!  Preslie  just wants to lick her and give her kisses whenever she walks by her, it's pretty cute.  Here's a fun pic of the two of them :)

Preslie and Miss Emma

That's about all for now -- time for Emma's next feeding! :)  Just wanted to send a quick thank you to all of our friends and family for their unbelievable love and support!  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! <3  

HAPPY TUESDAY!!

Now that's a belly

No hiding this big thing!

The most recent belly photo taken last night:




38 weeks and 3 days


11 days to go...

HAPPY FRIDAY ALL! 

12 days and counting....

Well, the time is drawing near!  Just 12 days to go until March 1 -- hard to believe, but really, I have a feeling these might be the longest 12 days I've ever experienced in my life!  Just so anxious and excited!  Joey just keeps telling me to be patient and that he/she will join us when he/she is ready... easier said than done, but I appreciate his attempts to calm my eagnerness none the less :)

Had our weekly appointment yesterday afternoon and Dr. said I was 80% effaced and about 2 cm dialated!!  At last week's appointment I wasn't dialated at all, so this was great news!  Baby's heartbeat sounded good, baby is still low, and blood pressure was great!  It was a great appointment :)  When I went up to the counter after the appointment was over to schedule my visit for next week, the front desk ladies (who are awesome) asked me how it went and when I told them they were like "What are you even scheduling an appoiontment for?  We're not going to see you next week!"  I told them not to jynx me and my next appointment is set for Monday at 3:15! :)

I do have to say that I have heard a lot about women giving birth on full moons.  SUPPOSEDLY, delivery rooms seem to fill up on these days.  A co-worker was the first to inform me of this, and then the nurse practioner at my dr's office also said it.  Well folks, the next full moon is tomorrow, February 18 -- guess we'll see if there is any truth to it ;) 

This is all I could find on why the moon could possibly have an effect:
The book The Lunar Effect, brought the "biological tides theory" to the forefront and the author, Arnold L. Lieber, argued that the moon affects the human body in much the same way as it does the world's oceans. This means that if a woman is close to her due date during a full moon, the pressure caused by the moon's effect on the water inside the amniotic sac could cause it to burst.

Last weekend was a GREAT weekend!  Had my third and final baby shower on Sunday and it was wonderufl!  It was great seeing family and friends and people's generosity never ceases to amaze me.  Baby H truly received many great things and Joey and I couldn't thank everyone enough (yet again) for all of their love and support!

I also did a lot of walking over the weekend!  Exercise hasn't really been in my vocabulary during this pregnancy (whoops -- will try to do better at that next time ;)).  I told Joey, "okay, we are going to walk all weekend and get things moving!"  After the results from last week to this weeks appointment, I'd say maybe some of that walking worked :)  Sooo, Joey and I took the pups on a long (well long for me at 9 months prego) walk last night after my appointment.  Since it's supposed to be record highs today weather wise, I am predicting another walk after work tonight! :) 

On Monday night (V-day) Joey and I ordered takeout from PF Changs as I wanted to eat the only really "spciy" thing in my diet, Garlic Noodles (those things are hot!).  As everyone can see, I am totally falling for the wives tails of what is supposed to trigger labor. Obviously, since the baby is still in my stomach and not in my arms, the spiceness did nothing but give me heartburn. 

Anyway, I know this is a long post -- just so much going on!

We are definitely ready and just WAITING! 

Baby H, you are welcome to join this world whenever you want -- we're ready for you!! <3

READY!

THREE WEEKS TO GO!

 

I have a feeling, these next few weeks are going to feel like the slowest ever.  I have reached the point where I am just READY!  I told Joey on Saturday -- "ok, I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore." haha.  I also feel like today would be a great day for Baby H to arrive if he/she would like to come early, because the house is all clean, every piece of laundry is done, the dogs both got baths, teeth brushed, and nails clipped yesterday, hospital bag is packed, and the nursery is now 99% finished (other 1% will be finished once we know the gender and we can make it look more boyish or girlish)!  :) 

 

 

Crib and Armoire (view from the doorway)

Crib and lanterns we hung this weekend

Teddy Bear on the dresser is Joey's from when he was little... name is Sammy Bear :)

Rocker, changing table, and funky lamp.  Will add baby's initial to the wall once we know if it will be an "E" or "B" :)

 

Now that we are 37 weeks, the baby is considered full term and therefore, doctor said I could go at anytime!  Crazy to think there is a full sized newborn baby in my stomach (although it is very believable with how large my stomach is).  I noticed the baby had "dropped" on Friday of last week and I am now carrying him/her much lower... just a sign we are getting closer! :) 

 

Two of my best friends hosted a baby shower last weekend and baby received some really great things!  He/she is already extremely spoiled!  We are so lucky to have so many great friends... thanks to all those who were able to come!  I had a blast at the shower -- it was themed green and brown just like the nursery and we played some pretty fun games!  It was wonderful and I am so lucky -- thanks Kristin and Colleen!! 

 

Collen, myself, and Kristin at the shower.

 

 

I have another shower this upcoming weekend which I am really excited about as well!  This one is hosted by my Aunt Christie and cousins Emilie and Meredith.  Looking forward to seeing everyone!

 

This week on the to do list is to get a pediatrician figured out for the baby.  We have a couple of options, but just need to nail one down.

 

Thanks for everyone's support throughout this entire pregnancy -- Joey and I are very blessed and thankful to have so many wonderful people in our lives! :)

 

Please continue to keep us in your prayers for a safe and healthy rest of the pregnancy, delivery, and recovery!  

5 weeks to go!

Hard to believe there are only 5 weeks left (4 weeks and 6 days if we are being exact)!!  Since June, we have had March 1 circled on all of our calendars and it seemed so far away... it is amazing that the day is almost here!

We are starting to get so excited and can't wait to meet our daughter/son! :)

We have recently had a major breakthrough... we have decided on names.  I know, hard to believe.  But we both really love both of the names and it feels great to have mutually agreed on both a boy and a girls name!  We'll just keep everyone in suspense on what those names are until he/she arrives :)

We took a belly shot last night and I have to tell you, I knew I was getting big, but until I saw the photo, didn't realize just HOW big!  Camera puts on 10 lbs though, right?! haha

35 weeks pregnant!

We have our last childbirth prep class tomorrow night -- we are supposed to bring our bag with us to class that we are planning on bringing to the hospital.  Guess that means that we need to pack our bag tonight! 

We had our most recent Dr's appt on Monday and the baby's heartbeat sounded strong and rate was around 140... hearing that heartbeat never gets old :)  Dr. said she thought the baby's head felt like it was down and she estimated that the baby weighs about 5 1/2 lbs!  We will now have weekly appointments until delivery day comes.

We went shopping Monday night to mommy's favorite store (Baby Gap!) and picked out a baby boy and girl outfit that our little one will come home in.  Plan is to have Grandma Kate wash the outfit once we know what it is and bring it to the hospital for us.  It's amazing how excited I seem to get about little things like this :)

I continue to feel pretty good.  I am starting to get to that uncomfortable stage, however.  I easily wake up 3-5 times per night with either heartburn or to have to pee... poor Joey gets awakened every time.  Guess it's just prepping for when the little one actually arrives! 

That's about it for now!  Happy Hump Day everyone and here's to a great rest of the week!

Childbirth Prep

So, Joey and I started our childbirth classes last Thursday night and now have completed two courses (have two more to go).  I'm not going to lie, sitting in there and listening to some of that stuff really gets my heart racing -- especially since the women in the videos they show appear to be in so much pain.  Don't get me wrong, I know it is going to be painful, but, I mean, can't they show videos of women with freakishly high pain tolerances to make it appear to be a little less painful?!?!

Joey had me laughing so hard last night in our class.  They talk a lot about your "coach" (aka: Joey) and what all they are responsible for: massaging, supporting, picking out new breathing techniques, praise, being a focal point, etc...  Joey leaned over to me last night and said: "I'm not going to lie, I really had no idea it was going to be this hard[refering to himself].  I just kind of thought I was going to show up and hang out."  Even as I write, that still makes me laugh :)

The teacher of the class asked all of us what one thing we wanted to accomplish to help better prepare for baby prior to next week was:

My task: purchase the coming home outfit (we are going to buy a boys outfit and a girls outfit) -- so excited about this :)

Joey's: he wants to purchase snacks for his "coach's kit" (bag he takes for himself to the hospital).  Again, he makes me laugh :)

Hope everyone has a great Friday!!

Just about 6 weeks left to go!!!! Can't wait!

Belly Shoot!

Joey and I had a lot of fun last weekend (probably me a little more than him -- what girl doesn't love getting their photo taken and pretending to be a model for an hour?!).  He was such a trooper agreeing to take photos with me -- he is going to be such a good daddy :)

Blind Photography in Des Moines took the photos and they did a WONDERFUL job!  Definitely would recommend them.  They were taken at 32 weeks pregnant.

Enjoy some of my favs!

Entering the homestretch!

Yikes!  I really need to get better at posting more often!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year!  We were lucky to spend time both here with my family and in KC with Joey's.  I love the holidays and being able to spend time with loved ones -- just kept picturing a baby being at next year's celebrations (yeaah!).   Baby Hajduch was spoiled already with the wonderful gifts we received in his/her anticipation :)

I had every intention of sending out a Christmas card this year, but I just never got fully around to it.  Here are a few photos of my photoshoot attempt with the pups.  I think I probably took about 15 different photos and these are literally the best ones :)  Don't let them fool you, they are not always this cute.....



Preslie (sitting); Nala (laying)
They are both watching TV instead of looking at the camera



Nala looks like I am making her do the worst thing ever


I did a belly photoshoot this past weekend --- it was a lot of fun and I think will be a good keepsake for the pregnancy :)  Can't wait to get the photos back and share them with you all.

Had a Dr's appt on Wednesday and everything is continuing to run smoothly!  Measuring right on track... hard to believe there are only 7 1/2 weeks left until March 1!!  I am beginning to get soooo excited and am very anxious to meet him/her.  I think I am back to thinking it is a girl, which means nothing but the fact that it is obvious I have no clue what it is (considering I've been flip-flopping the entire pregnancy)!  Daddy has thought girl since the beginning, so we'll see if he knows what he's talking about ;)

Still feeling good (minus sleeping and heartburn), but I really can't complain.  We started our childbirth classes last night and have 3 more of them to complete.  It actually was really helpful and will hopefully make me feel a little more relaxed when that time comes!!

That's all for now -- will hopefully post belly photos here soon!

Happy 2011 to all our family and friends!!

25th Bday

Sorry, it's been awhile since I last posted.  Will try to be better at this :)

What a great weekend I had!  My parents hosted a party on Friday night to celebrate my 25th birthday (I am now officially an adult -- bring on mommy-hood!!).  It was great to spend time with my loved ones and just hang out.  Here are a few pics from the night.


My wonderful hubby and I



Joey's parents and us



My family



My "little" brother and I

I spoiled myself on Friday by taking the day off and getting a prenatal massage... it was amazing.... along with a mani/pedi.  Soon-to-be Uncle Mike and I went to lunch at Panera and then I did some much needed X-Mas shopping. Was a very relaxing day and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Baby and I are doing great!  Our next appointment is on Wednesday.  From now on, appointments will be every 2 weeks (until the last month where we'll go every week).

Continuing to get more and more excited!!

Thank you everyone for all the birthday wishes and kind thoughts :)  I truly am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life!

Giving Thanks

So I meant to post this yesterday, but just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for this year!  I am so thankful for baby hajduch, my hubby, family, and all our loved ones!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday at my parents house -- it was great to just relax for the afternoon.  We missed Joey's parents and sisters down in Texas -- excited to see everyone soon! :)

It's Turkey week!

Happy Turkey week everyone!  In honor of the greatest TV show on earth (Friends), the Thanksgiving holiday, and baby Hajduch, here's a fun clip for you (I happen to find even more humor in this now!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvw-G4J4Y2c

So I realized today that I only have this week and next week, and then we will be in our THIRD trimester already... crazy!

Belly is continuing to grow... the nurse at my checkup last week tried comforting me when I saw the scale by saying: "Keep in mind you have winter clothes on now and they weigh more."  I understand what she was trying to say, but really, that is no comfort at all!  Although I can't complain, being pregnant in the winter I've decided is the best -- leggings and uggs every day... yes please!

26 weeks

Joey and I continue to throw names back and forth.  I can say that we do currently have one boy's name that we shockingly are in agreement with, but girls names we are stumped.  I keep trying to come up with new ones, but none of them seem to pass his stamp of approval too.  I know we have time, but hopefully we can eventually agree on one! :)

We continue to feel so blessed and definitely have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season! :)

Wishing all our loved ones a very safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!!

The Nursery

We have had a pretty exciting past couple of weeks!  The first being the completion of the BASEMENT!  Yeaaa!  It is so nice to have the extra room to breathe down there (and particularly nice to have an extra bathroom now)!  I will post pictures of the basement in a later blog for all to see!  We are mostly excited because our house isn't a disaster zone anymore, so we can finally start having people over!

The second big project has been the nursery!  Daddy surprised mommy by painting the nursery one Saturday while I was out running errands -- what a great surprise to come home and see the green paint on the walls!  The color turned out perfect -- gender neutral and fun!

We (and I can say we, I did help) also put together the crib, changing table, and rocking chair.  We also have Joey's baby armoire from when he was little and with a big thank you from Grandma Kate, that is all painted and looks as good as new!

It is so exciting to walk past the room and picture a baby sleeping in there in a few short months!  I still have a lot of work to do on the decorating part... but the essentials are there :)  Getting more and more excited by the day to meet our little one -- about 3 months to go!!

Daddy putting together the crib

Crib and Armoire (door and knobs still not put on the armoire)

Rocking chair and changing table

Nala approves of the room :)

We also decided to be REALLY ambitious this past weekend and go register for some things at Babies R Us --- WOW is that overwhelming!  By the time Joey and I got to the baby diaper trash cans and there were six different options, we looked at each other and decided, "wow, we have no idea what we're doing."  Thanks to my cousin Emilie and her little one Olivia for coming back with me the next day and pointing me in the right direction!  :)

Hope everyone is having a great week!

The Anticipated Belly Watch

So many have been pestering me to upload photos of my growing belly (and it is DEFINITELY growing)!   I have to admit, I'm not quite comfortable uploading them to facebook, so I figure the blog will be the best way to share.

So here it goes!  Joey and I do our best to take photos every few weeks, so we'll start from the beginning...

The proud daddy-to-be the day we found out :) Yes, we took multiple tests (I think 7 total...)

13 weeks

15 weeks

20 weeks

21 weeks

And, the most recent (tonight), 23 1/2 weeks

So there we have it!  Baby is growing and becoming more and more active every day!  I haven't been able to sleep very well the past few nights, and when I wake up and try to go back to bed, baby is going CRAZY!!  Hopefully we can get these nights and days switched around come time for the little one's arrival :) 

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with Joey and the pups -- our furniture for the new basement arrives tomorrow (and I have the day off -- yeah!), along with a new sofa for upstairs.  Things are definitely coming together around here... just in time too :)

<3 Carlie

23 weeks... and counting!

So I decided that in an effort to track all the notable and exciting things Joey and I are experiencing, I'd try out this blog thing.  Also, I figured it'd be a pretty good way to keep all our loved ones updated on our little one's progress! :) 

We are currently at 23 weeks and both mommy and baby are doing great!  We had our most recent appointment last week and everything is right on track!  We had our 3D ultrasound which was AMAZING -- Joey and I are pretty biased, but we think baby Hajduch is pretty cute already! ;)  It is amazing how technology allows you to see the little face at such an early stage.  I am still comprehending the fact that what is on the sonogram is actually inside my stomach!  We elected to not find out the sex, so we will be waiting anxiously for d-day to come when we find out if a baby girl or boy will be joining our family.  Right now, both daddy and mommy think it's a boy though :)

So far, I have gained a whopping 10 lbs!  I stepped on the scale at the last appointment and saw the number, looked at the nurse and said: "Wait, how much did I weigh last time?"  I managed to gain 6 lbs in a little over 4 weeks ---- yikes!! :)  Everyone says that is normal for the 5th month though.  According to my Baby Center weekly update I get on Tuesdays, baby is about the size of a large mango, weighs over 1 pound and is over 11 inches in length :)

In the meantime, as we prepare for baby's arrival, we are happy to announce that our 'finishing the basement' project is coming to an end! Carpet was put in yesterday and it looks AWESOME! Can't wait to get our furniture in (new sofa arrives Friday).  Joey and grandpa-to-be Larry did an amazing job and I couldn't be luckier to have two guys who have worked so hard these past few months on it! I can't claim too much help on it -- baby and I have been stearing pretty clear of the construction site :)  Once all the furniture is in, I'll post some photos of it for everyone to see!

Next project -- NURSERY!

That's all for now!  Please continue to keep us in your prayers!  We appreciate everyone's love and support!

Carlie