BIG changes!

Well!  If I had waited just another few days to write Presley's 6 month update, it would have been a LOT different.  There have been several changes for Miss P in just the last 48 hours!

We gave Presley her first bit of baby cereal - oatmeal to be exact - on Saturday.  That was more exciting for Tony and I than it was for her.  She tolerates it, but she's not enthusiastic about eating cereal.  Her faces while eating were so animated and I couldn't stop laughing when watching the video Tony took of her eating.

It's insane how much older she looks in a highchair!

We tried to give Presley a bit of a nap Sunday, but she was only asleep for a short while.  When we found out she was awake, Tony and I went into her room to get her and we were completely surprised to find her laying in her crib on her BELLY!

She's rolled over several times since then and Tony caught one of her rolls on film....

Presley is loving the fact that she can roll over and does it each time I put her on a flat surface.  She doesn't realize she can roll from her belly to her back (she's done it before - several months ago!) so we will see how long that takes!

She had a couple very rough nights last week and it intensified over the weekend.  Yesterday was by far the worst of it and it was hard to watch Presley while she was so upset.  She refused to sleep - both in the afternoon at nap time and at night for bedtime.  It was rough on me and Tony, too.  I have been checking her gums religiously each day in hopes that this was brought on by teething and hadn't seen anything new.  However, yesterday, Tony discovered two openings on her bottom gum!  I was absolutely shocked and a little relieved to know what the fuss was all about.

We had another late, difficult, and very draining bedtime last night.  (Baby tylenol and baby Orajel don't seem to be helping!)  This morning Presley woke me up bright and early and when I checked her gums with my finger I was stunned to feel two sharp points!!!!!  No wonder she has been in so much agony - her first teeth are trying to bust out of there!  TALK ABOUT RELIEF!  I am really hoping that since they've broken the surface that her pain will ease.  (Mom friends, has this been true for you?  Please share your teething experiences!)

Even though she seems nearly back to her old self today, she was still having trouble calming down for her afternoon nap.  We took a trip to Target where I bought some of the Hyland's Teething Tablets because I've heard such great things about them.  I had attempted (and failed) at giving her a nap and when she continued to fuss and seemed tired I gave the tablets a try, fed her, and she was out within minutes.  It really seemed to take the edge off for her and I just pray it continues to work!


So over the weekend Presley had her first taste of cereal, rolled from her back to her belly, and the tips of her bottom two teeth cut through her gums!  Seems like she belongs to the right family - Tony and I seem to have many milestones in a short amount of time as well (welcoming baby Presley 9 months from our wedding day)!

Let's hope these teeth stay above the surface and pop all the way through very quickly -- we want our happy baby back for our upcoming trip!

Happy HALF Birthday, Presley Rose!

**Presley's 1/2 birthday was Monday the 20th, but I waited to write this until after her 6 month checkup (which was today) so I could include all her new stats**

Wow!  Can you hardly believe that Presley is halfway to her first birthday?  Tony and I sure can't!  I would definitely say that he is in denial about her getting older and wants to keep her our little baby for as long as possible.  I'm always sad when I pack away the clothes she's grown out of, but I'm more excited for all the fun, new clothes I'm filling the empty spaces with!  When I was pulling out all her 6-9 month clothes he seemed to not like that at all and for the first time, Tony asked Presley to slow down.  In addition to that, we still haven't switched Presley to sit forward-facing in her stroller.  I'm open to it (although she's not sitting up the best yet) but Tony is absolutely against it, still.  He likes being able to look at her while we walk around with her in the stroller and I can't blame him.  He is going to be one sad (but proud!) daddy once she starts moving around...

• Speaking of that, Presley is still pretty immobile.  She's extremely close to fully flipping from her back to belly.  She has an interest in practicing it over and over again, but she just can't seem to pick her head up to do that final turn.  She'll get it sooner or later, but for now she's still not rolling.

Looks like her bear is in the way, but even if he wasn't there next to her, that's as far as she can get!

•  In addition to that, Presley has shown no interest in even trying to go from her belly to her back!  It's funny, because she has already done that one just a few times - almost as if those few times were on accident - but I haven't seen her try to do that at all in the past two months.

• She loves playing on her activity mat... after I change and feed her, playing on her mat is the first thing she does every day.

• As I said before, she's not quite sitting up on her own without support from us.  She likes it when we help her sit up straight, though, because she sees her toys from a new perspective and gets very excited about it!
• I swear, this child may walk before she crawls!  She loves standing up - with assistance, of course!  She wiggles around on her belly and may start scooting soon, but nothing much in that department, yet.  Sometimes if I leave her on her back on her play mat, I will come back and she will be in a completely different spot than I left her!  So she's learning to wiggle around on her back.  This happened the past few nights, too...  I will check on her before I go to bed and she's in a completely different spot than I left her!!!
• Up until this point, we have not introduced cereal or any baby foods to her.  At her 4 month appointment, we talked with Dr. Brodd and decided waiting til 6 months was good for us.  Well, that appointment was today.  I think we are going to start with cereal and then dive right in with veggies next week!  I. Am. So. EXCITED!!!
• Speaking of her 6 month appointment, she weighed in at 15 pounds & 13 ounces and is 26 inches tall!  That puts her a little under 50% for weight, a little above 50% for height, and her head is in the 75%!

Waiting for the doctor this afternoon!

•  Still, no teeth present!  She's certainly drooling and chomping on anything within reach, though! 

• She loves drinking water out of a straw!  It's so cute.  I used to just drop water in her mouth with my straw but now I can keep it plugged with my finger and she's learned to suck the water out of it!  So adorable.

• Presley will get to meet a TON of her Memphis/Mississippi family over Labor Day weekend!  We are going to visit to celebrate Tony's Uncle Donald's life, as he recently passed away after a valiant battle with cancer.  Although I would much rather be going to visit for different circumstances, we wouldn't miss this for anything and I am so happy Presley will get to spend some time with some of the best people I've come to know!  So expect a great big post with lots of pictures from our trip.
• Unfortunately, while we're gone, we will be missing my cousin Breanne's baby shower and I am so bummed about it.  Just means that we will have to start planning a trip ASAP to visit them in Milwaukee!
• It's the CUTEST thing to see Presley passing toys from one hand to the next!  For some reason, seeing her do that has really cemented that she's getting so much bigger.
• Presley doesn't necessarily have any "favorite" toys other than a couple squeaky frogs that are really bath toys - but she loves them!  She also likes her Sophie Giraffe - which is the squeaky teething toy.  And she really does love mirrors!
• She's in 6-9 month clothes & sleepers and is still being swaddled for the most at nap & bedtime - though we are starting to wean her of that!  She still uses her paci for sleeping, too, but other than that she could care less about that thing!  
• She's in size 3 diapers, still.  We still love Pampers & Luvs the best for diapers and have found out that she has a reaction when we use Target wipes and Huggies wipes.  She does well with the Parent's Choice gentle wipes from Wal-mart so that's what we've been using.
• She's got a bit of cradle cap that I am hoping starts to go away soon!
• This girl can drool, so we put a bib on her pretty much 24/7!
• Presley has such an awesome little personality and EVERY day I am surprised by how sweet she is and how hilarious she is.  I feel so blessed by the Lord to be her mommy.

Presley had a pretty fun week!

On Monday, I took her pictures at home like I do on the 20th of each month.

On Tuesday, we took Presley to get her 6 month pictures taken at a photography studio nearby that is very reasonably priced and they turned out to be so precious!  I had THE hardest time choosing between her different pictures, but this is the one we ended up going with...

I just love it.  She was hugely laughing at our photographer - not sure if she was laughing at the faces she was making or the noises but it was absolutely precious.  I wish you could see her whole outfit because it is a precious little nautical outfit!  I love that it's unisex so IF there is ever a Baby Duggan #2 then we can have their picture (boy or girl) in the same outfit.

On Wednesday, we visited her Gramma and her Great Grandparents and went on a little walk where Presley sat front-facing in her stroller (shh! Don't tell her daddy...) and she LOVED it.  She really liked sitting up straight and even hoisted her foot onto the tray in front of her and used it as a foot rest.

On Thursday, we had our weekly play date with her twin friends who are just a few months older than her.  We were having such a fun time - Presley was watching Alli & Molly sitting up like big girls and it really caused Presley to sit up better than she ever has!  Isn't that so funny/cute?  We are so lucky to have such great little friends for Presley to learn from.  And their Aunt Megan who watches them throughout the day has been so great for me to get to hang with every week!!  All of a sudden at our play date, Presley got upset and started acting funny so we left a little abruptly for home.  She was feeling a little warm so I took her temperature later and she was 100.4 and I figured it was teething.  She took a nap & afterwards her temp was 101.6!  Gave her some Tylenol and it seemed to help the temp but she was pretty upset until around 9pm when she finally started falling asleep.

Today, we both woke up smiling, happy, and no fever!  We saw Dr. Brodd at 12:30pm and he decided we'd wait on her shots because of her fever yesterday... YAY!  So I will reschedule to get her shots at a time that Tony can come with us.  I love our pediatrician so very much; we are so very blessed with Dr. Brodd!  After her appointment we stopped by my Uncle Jeff's pharmacy (Illini Clinic Pharmacy) to fill a prescription for Presley (which is a whole other story!) and we got to hang out with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Donna for a little bit.  We just don't see them enough so I was elated that both Presley and I got to spend some time with them this afternoon.

And here we are caught up to the present moment.  Both baby & daddy are napping right now!

The picture is very dark - but it's Presley sleeping on my lap & Tony sleeping next to us!

So, that's what's new with Miss Presley!  I can't believe how fast the last six months have seemed to go.  And I can't believe that the changes have really just begun!  I am so thankful to have a healthy baby to hold every day and that my husband provides so well for us so that I can stay at home with her for now.  We are blessed with family and friends who are supportive and loving both near and far and I need to remember to give thanks to God more often for these beautiful things!

Couch to 5K Friday/Currently.

Alright, so this week I finally began "week four" of couch to 5k!  I put it in parenthesis because I should really be beyond week four... but that's alright.  Slow and steady wins the race?

I had to redo week three because I took nearly two weeks off between being out of town and just plain getting lazy and burnt out.  I really thought I would quit and I would have if it wasn't for my little sister telling me how much I'd regret it if I didn't stick with it.  She literally harped on me until I decided she was right and I needed to pick it back up. 

And if I thought week three was challenging, HOLY MOLY... week four was brutal.  It went something like this:  5 minute warmup walk and then jog 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds, jog 5 minutes (WHAT??), walk 2.5 minutes - and then repeat.  End with a 5 minute cool down walk.

At the end of week three I was running 2 miles in 29:23 minutes (14:35 first mile, 14:48 second mile) and yesterday was the beginning of week 4 for me and I ran 2 miles in 25:07 minutes (12:29 first mile, 12:38 second mile).  It was really hard to complete and I felt like giving up but I just pushed forward.  After the run I realized that I really might not be able to run a 5k from start to finish because I just don't think my body is made for running.  Walking... yes!  Running... probably not!  I'm going to keep trying, though, and see where it takes me.  (Hopefully not to the hospital! ;)

After reading Erica's post over at her blog (Mi Todo), I decided to take part in this...

Currently

Loving:  This beautiful weather we've been having!  The transition from Summer to Fall is honestly one of the most relaxing times of the year and it really reflects that outside right now.  I am absolutely looking towards all the fun activities we will be able to do with Presley this Fall!

My mom & Presley. Had a family fish fry tonight at my Gramma's house and we all had such a good time!  Of course we all had to comment about the gorgeous weather!

Beautiful view from my run this week.  The weather was just as beautiful.

Watching:  The Twilight Saga over (and over... and over...) again.  I know so many people think the movies are dumb/trashy/etc. but I find them interesting and exciting and funny and I just love the characters and everything that Stephenie Meyer created.

Reading:  Nothing at the moment.  However, I ordered The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer in order to (finally) complete my Twilight set, so I hope to read that when it gets here.  And perhaps I will just reread the entire saga...

Listening to:  Oh gosh, the Rock of Ages soundtrack.  Just got it out of curiosity from the library to see if it was any good.  I had pretty low expectations since I absolutely love all the originals of each song, but surprisingly the album is really great.  I'm excited to see the movie once it's out on DVD.

Thinking about:  A lot.  Tony's Uncle Donald just passed away yesterday and since his passing I've thought a lot about family and how important it is to really make every moment you have here on Earth count.  Also hoping we'll be able to get to Memphis to visit friends and family soon to celebrate Donald's life but just wondering if I can survive another 10+ hour car ride with a baby in tow!

Anticipating:  Presley's 6 month checkup next week.  It'll be the first doctor visit for Presley and I without Tony along with us.  I'm pretty sure she's going to get some shots and I'm afraid I won't do well with them by myself.  Looks like I just have to suck it up!  Also really looking forward to Presley's 6 month pictures!

Wishing:  I lived closer to my sisters.  Nothing really more to say there... pretty self explanatory.

Making me happy:  My silly and sweet little girl.  She is so close to rolling over but I think she's just a little apprehensive of that final little flip from her side to her belly.  I just love our little daily routine as well as all the new things she does every day!

She's getting to be so curious these days and is starting to love her books!

Playing on her very beloved activity mat.

Presley hanging out like a big girl in the chair at Kohl's!

Why Do You Run?

I was advised to answer this question because at the point I'm at in the couch to 5k is usually when beginners start to lose their steam.  If I know exactly why I run, then the theory is I can keep from getting burnt out and focusing on these reasons will keep me going!

1. To get in shape post-baby.  It's just amazing (or the opposite of amazing...) how much your body changes throughout carrying your baby.  It's all fun and exciting at the time and then once the baby is on the outside, you are left with basically a deflated tire for a belly.  I'm actually to the point where I am okay with my post-baby body and dare I say proud of each and every mark.  Even still, I want to make strides (pun intended) towards building muscle.  Most specifically, I want to feel better about my legs!
2. I want to have a healthy hobby as well as maintain a healthy lifestyle and running is one way I can move a step closer to those goals.
3. As much as I love my special little family, I would also like some time throughout the week to be able to clear my head and focus on nothing!  Even if it's for 20-30 minutes at a time.
4. I want to complete a 5k.  I've run/walked a 5k before, but I want to jog a 5k from start to finish and cross it off of my bucket list!
5. I want to be able to lounge around throughout the week and eat dessert without feeling guilty!
6. As stupid as it may sound, I think about Presley a lot when I run.  She is a big motivator for me.  I'm not sure if I want her to be proud of me or what, but she is one of the reasons I run.  I also think that if I can stay somewhat active on a regular basis then hopefully it will help keep me healthy so I have more time to spend with her and Tony.

I'm sure I will think of other reasons I run, but I am totally blank right now.  New mama friends as well as friends focusing on their fitness, why do you run/work out/stay active?  Your motivation keeps me motivated as well, so please share!

Breastfeeding!

HAPPY NATIONAL BREASTFEEDING MONTH!

Okay, I have been wanting to write on this topic for a while now, but because for so many people it really is still a hot button issue (as in formula vs. breastfeeding), I've steered away from it.  It's to the point where I feel bad blogging about it because I don't want formula fed mamas to feel judged by me.  On top of it, it's still somewhat of a taboo subject and there are sadly grown adults out there who are weirded out by the topic.  I think this has been the BIGGEST motivation to write about it; if I were to stay silent because someone isn't comfortable with this topic, then I really am perpetrating the problem.


After a recent conversation with a friend of mine who is pregnant, I've decided to write about my feelings towards breastfeeding as well as my own personal experiences with nursing my daughter for the past (nearly) six months.  I'm writing this blog and will be so honest in sharing so that HOPEFULLY a new mom out there will come across this who has the same worries I had and realize she's not alone.  I hate to think that everyday there are women who forgo breastfeeding because of the fear of the unknown and if I can be any help towards promoting breastfeeding, even if it's just to one person, then I will feel really good about that.


Breastfeeding Worries:
I don't know about any of you first time mothers out there, but one of my biggest areas of concern when it came to breastfeeding was going from the mindset of my breasts being somewhat of a sexual object to my breasts being something used to feed my baby.  And since there are many people who are so weirded out by breastfeeding, I was scared that it would feel perverted.  To expand on that, I was just scared that it would feel sexual to breastfeed, you know?  And that was beyond creepy to me.  I told myself if it felt like that in even the slightest way that I was absolutely going to be done breastfeeding.

(Hindsight, this is crazy talk - but at the time, I had no idea what it would be like.)

But then I was in labor for like, 50 hours.  And exhausted.  And then at the end of it all, I had a baby to feed.  The last thing on my mind when it came to first feeding Presley were my previous worries.  My inner monologue sounded something like:  "Oh my gosh, am I doing this right?" and "Ouch! This hurts! Why does this hurt? The book says it's not supposed to hurt..." and briefly "Is she getting enough?"


Breastfeeding a Newborn:
And there really hasn't been very much reason (or time) to look back.  In the beginning, Presley and I both had no clue what we were doing.  On top of the learning curve, Presley didn't have the best latch - so there was a fair amount of pain on my end the first few weeks.  I used the Lanolin cream and took a warm shower every day to help ease some of the soreness.  There was bleeding and scabbing, but once everything healed, breastfeeding started getting much better.  But when things were pretty painful, I was able to use a nipple shield while nursing and it made it somewhat better.  I didn't use it much as I didn't want Presley to get used to latching on the shield vs. on me to further the latching issues.

From the very beginning, I got the advice to set small, attainable goals for breastfeeding.  At first it was just to survive the first 4 weeks of breastfeeding, the next goal was to make it until 3 months, and my current goal that I've been working towards is the 6 month mark - which we are currently 2 weeks away from meeting!  Somewhere along the way it has become rewarding and completely fulfilling instead of being a chore or something I found to be inconvenient.  So many times (especially in the beginning) I wondered what it would be like to formula feed; I felt like it must be so much easier and convenient and I wouldn't have this baby latched on to me 24/7!  But in hindsight, those first few weeks of figuring everything out is difficult a challenge no matter how you feed your baby.


Breastfeeding Motivations & Opinions:
There were so many positive findings that led me towards breastfeeding for both Presley and I.  The fact that breastfeeding lowers a mother's chance of ovarian and breast cancer was huge.  But I cannot tell a lie, the biggest reason I looked forward to breastfeeding was because so many moms told me how it helped shed the pregnancy weight very quickly.  Another huge motivator was (and still is) the fact that we don't pay a dime for Presley's food.  Since I've chosen to stay home with her thus far and therefore do not bring in any income, it's been nice not having another expense on top of diapers, wipes, and my addiction to buying baby clothes on clearance. 

Most importantly, I knew breastfeeding was and will always be the best option for my child.  Breastfeeding can lower a child's risk of developing all kinds of illnesses or infections ranging from childhood leukemia to ear infections and many things in between.  That's not to say that formula isn't a wonderful option - because what in the heck would we do without formula if for some reason breastfeeding wasn't an option?  We would be lost!  And I will always respect each woman's right to choose what they do with their own body.

I consider myself very lucky that even despite some issues in the beginning, that I've been able to nurse Presley because I know there are women who are not as fortunate.  With that being said, my wish is that every mother give breastfeeding a shot.  In addition, instead of breastfeeding being a good or even the best option, it should be the standard.


Breastfeeding Experiences:
We've charted Presley's feeding schedule from the very beginning; first using pen and paper and then about a month or so into it I started using an app on my phone.  (The app I use is "Baby Feeding Log" and I highly recommend it to smart phone/iPod touch mamas out there!  It's free and extremely user-friendly.  In addition to keeping track of feedings, you can log sleep time as well as diapers if need be!)  I've enjoyed keeping track of Presley's feedings, mostly so I could pick up the pattern of when she wants/needs to feed throughout the day.  It's also been nice in the instances when her routine goes out the window (for example, throughout her various growth spurts) to be able to figure out what her "new" routine is.

Nursing an almost 6 month old is much different than it was to begin with.  I feel there are far less challenges today and that Presley & I have really gotten in a rhythm when it comes to feeding her.  Our biggest hurdle these days in the breastfeeding department is making sure there are not too many distractions, otherwise Presley will lose focus and latch/unlatch several times.  (And boy, does that get annoying!)  But as long as we're in a relative quiet area, things go just fine.

Another (minor) challenge to breastfeeding these days is TEETHING.  Presley chomps down on her hands, our fingers, her toys, and everything she get get in her mouth.  This includes her paci, the occasional bottle, and YES... my nipple.  (And it DEFINITELY hurts!)  She's only done this a few times and I think my strong reaction is what keeps it from becoming a more regular occurrence.  I can only imagine how this will go once she has teeth......
 
So, even though I haven't met the 6 month goal quite yet, I know there will be no stopping at that point either.  So the next goal I'll set is 9 months!


Breastfeeding Resources:
One of the websites I often frequent lists the benefits your child receives from breastfeeding according to their age.  In this past, these facts kept me motivated by reminding me why I was choosing to breastfeed.  This website is formatted the same way and lists additional benefits by age as well.

I also use tons of apps on my phone that have helped with breastfeeding concerns including the Medela iBreastfeed App and the What to Expect: Baby App.

Also, to all you breastfeeding mamas, August 15th is Public Display of Breastfeeding (PDB) Day! 

This picture makes smile!  "Breastfeeding Moms Band Together"

I'm one of the many moms that nurse who are intimidated by nursing in public.  Over 1,000 moms have pledged to breastfeed in public on the 15th in solidarity in order to help erase the stigma of breastfeeding.  So of course, I've hopped on board and plan to take part in PDB Day.  If you have the opportunity to do so, I encourage you and ask you to take part in order to encourage the normalcy of breastfeeding!

And lastly, I just want to thank my awesome, super supportive husband for standing by me from day one!  He cares about my goals just as much (if not more) than I do.  Not only that, but I mean it when I say he supports me.  In the earliest days when feeding Presley was most challenging and even stressful, he made it his priority to make sure I was taken care of.  While he was home that first week, he told me he was in charge of keeping me fed because I was in charge of keeping Presley fed.  He did so much for me and continues to do so today - including filling up my glass of water whenever he's home whether I ask or not, changing countless diapers between feedings, and being incredibly loving and self-sacrificing for Presley and I.
I couldn't love him more.

Presley's first wedding!

Tonight we ventured out of our cave to celebrate one of my former co-worker's big & beautiful wedding day!

Such a beautiful bride!

I've always enjoyed working with Barb & getting to know her over the past couple of years has been wonderful.  You don't always get so lucky to work with so many great people that you can really call your friends, but somehow I'm absolutely blessed in that department -- considering 3/6 of my bridesmaids were coworker best friends -- as well as so many YMCA folks I am fortunate enough to keep in touch with.

We weren't able to attend the ceremony as it fell in the middle of Presley's afternoon nap, but we made it for the reception!  Unfortunately, Presley didn't care for the talking and music playing over the speakers so she decided to fuss the entire time we were there.  Thankfully daddy swooped in to the rescue and walked all around the Ramada Inn with her!  Every time I would go out to check on them, Presley would look at me and instantly start crying!  I have no idea why - but it made me a little sad but mostly happy that she was having such a good time with her daddy.

She sure was happy before we headed to the wedding!

We got to stay for the toasts, food, cake, and formal dances - but we didn't get to do any dancing ourselves.  We left pretty soon into the evening because as soon as I held Presley, she passed out!  I'm not sure if it was just overwhelming for her or if she is really teething... but she was just having one of those days.

We had a few photo opps while we were there and were so happy to get to celebrate the special occasion.  Hopefully Presley's next wedding we can work our way up to some dancing with her.  :)

The Duggans :)

I know, my husband is a SEXY man!

The big polar bear at the hotel that has been there since I was a kid!

We wish Barbara and Alex a life full of joy together & hope that their marriage is even prettier than their wedding was!

Welcome to the world, Miss Anne Marie!

So, as (most of) you guys know, my sister found out around Thanksgiving that she was pregnant!  I can't remember if her original due date was August 1st or July 31st, but it soon got moved up to July 28th and stayed there.  It was such exciting news and it was pretty sweet that our pregnancies would overlap three months together.  Amanda came to visit in December...

These were taken after a trip to Chicago. (The city is not as fun when you are in your third trimester...)

Amanda put this in a "grandchildren" frame for our mom to tell her that she was expecting!

The next time we saw her was in May when her and John (and my little sister, Ashley) came in town for Presley's baptism.

John & Amanda (P's Godparents) and Tony, Presley & I at her baptism
at Christ the King -- the church where we were married at in May 2011!

Presley and Amanda :)

While Amanda was here we also threw her a baby shower!

And I had to throw this one in there! ;) Pregnant Amanda & not pregnant Ashley!
(She's got a balloon under there!)

And that was the last time I got to see Amanda while she was pregnant!  She was glowing, extremely laid back, and happy as usual; pregnancy definitely looked good on her.  Not to mention she had a healthy pregnancy and remains stretch mark free!  (Try not to hate her, ladies, she is very deserving of her good fortune!)

So, the week of her due date, she started to experience what she assumed were pretty light contractions.  They came and went and she was frustrated that it hadn't progressed into labor.  The day before her due date, she started having light contractions again that stayed around pretty consistently.  She and her husband, John, went to get checked out at the hospital around midnight and she found out she was 2-3 cm. already!  They kept her around for another hour to see if she would progress and she had progressed to 4 cm. so they admitted her and administered her epidural - which she said was magical! :)  She pushed for less than an hour (I can't remember how long exactly, sorry if I'm butchering your story, Amanda!!!) and Anne Marie was born at 8:28AM on July 28 -- HER DUE DATE!

A 7 lb. 9 oz. beauty born with a head full of brown hair!

Anne Marie (3 days old) and Presley (5 months old) during their first hangout.

My sisters, myself, and our kiddos!

It was awesome to be there during Amanda's first few days as a mom and throughout Anne Marie's first few days on the outside!  I've only been home a couple days and I already can't wait until the next time that we can be all together.  Not to mention, poor Uncle Tony didn't get to meet his sweet niece!  So although that drive was NOT fun, I think we will have some serious motivation (Anne Marie!) to do it again soon.

Perhaps I can talk my sister into guest blogging on here in case she wants to share Anne Marie's birth story/her first few days as a mommy from her perspective!

Until then, hope you enjoyed hearing about my sweet niecey-poo... babies are just so wonderful.  Thank you Amanda and John for bringing such a sweet baby into this world and thank you Miss Anne Marie for giving me the privilege of being your auntie!!!  We plan on loving and spoiling you until you can no longer stand it.