Our Anniversary and Other stuff....

We spent our anniversary with this beautiful face! The 3 of us went to Bloomington to a place called Medici for dinner. It was a fun night and a new place we had never been before. This is basically what she did the whole time. Car rides and stroller rides tend to put her to sleep. Although she did wake up to eat right after we were done eating.

Wearing my pretty dress...getting ready to go to dinner to celebrate my parents anniversary!


Playing on her play mat. She loves it!!!


Babysitter #2...Dee:) haha!

Adlee is changing every day. She is starting to lose some of her hair so right now she looks like an old man with a receding hair line..haha! Poor girl. I hope it comes back soon. She really is a good baby and I am enjoying being home with her.

This coming week, we are looking forward to having Adlee's Grandma Jan come visit. We plan to go do a little shopping, have dinner out a few times I am sure and just enjoy playing with Adlee.

Today, I worked on Adlee's birth announcements. They are precious. I can't wait for people to receive them. I will maybe try to post them on here if I am able.

Happy Anniversary Jeremy!

Happy Wedding Anniversary Jeremy!
Today, we celebrate 3 years of marriage. I am looking forward to many many more! There is no better way to celebrate than with our precious little girl we waited so long for! It's been a great 3 years!
Today it is hot and humid. Our wedding day could not have been more beautiful for a July date. It was in the 70's and sunny! Oh how I wish we could take another honeymoon to Mexico, but we will save that for a later date.

I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH JEREMY! You are a great husband and do so much for me and Adlee.

A Nice Surprise!..and Other Random Things..

Yesterday, when I went out to check our mail, there was a little package in the mailbox. We have been receiving a lot of gifts for Adlee. This was a nice surprise. I opened the package and we had received the most adorable outfit for Adlee from our next door neighbor. They had it shipped to us. It is from www.tinysprouts.com and is just adorable...I love it sooo much.

It is size 6-12 months so it will be a little bit before she can wear it but I can't wait!!!

Tomorrow is Jeremy and I's 3 year wedding anniversary. Jeremy surprised me this past weekend and purchased two white rockers for our front porch. They are our anniversary present to each other. We have a white welcome sign on our front door so they match that and give nice contrast. It is nice to sit out front and watch all the neighbor kids ride their bikes down the street. I think tomorrow night the 3 of us will go to a nice dinner someplace.

Since I have been home on maternity leave, Lucie has wanted to go out 950 times a day. Often times I leave her outside for a while but since it has been so hot I have kept a close eye on her and do not want her to get over heated. So lately, she has been making a mad dash to the corner of our fence and just sits there and stares at something...not sure what is out there but she sits there forever! So, we will have to figure out what is so intriguing to our little Lu Lu soon!

Yesterday morning, Adlee and I got out for a really nice long walk. It felt great. I have not been released yet from the Dr. so I have just been walking. I am looking forward to working out again and trying to get rid of this tummy...I know it will feel great to be able to workout again.

It has been so hot that I have not wanted to get out much with Adlee unless there is a breeze and shade. Now it is raining so it put a damper on my morning walk I had hoped for again today.

Adlee is 1 Month Old!

Happy 1 Month Adlee!

We tried to get the picture on the new chair but you weren't having it today.
Adlee, your Daddy and I can't believe you are 1 month old today! This month has flown by. It seems like we just came home from the hospital yesterday. Luckily, I still have 8 more weeks off of work...thank goodness!
Adlee, you are such a good baby! You hardly ever cry...only when you are hungry or we aren't feeding you fast enough.
You love to eat...just like your Mommy & Daddy:) You are eating about every 2-3 hours still. I have just today bumped up the number of ounces you are getting to see if that will help tide you over longer. We shall see.
You get up a couple of times in the night to eat.
You love to get up early with Daddy. Daddy is a morning person and Mommy is not. When you get up with Daddy, you and Daddy play and just have Daddy/Daughter time. It gives Mommy a chance to rest. Typically, Mommy gets up with you in the night to feed so Daddy will get up early with you.
You love to lay on the floor and just kick and look around and make noises.
You are a noisey little girl. You make noise when you eat, like a little piggy:) You also make noises when you sleep....Daddy does this sometimes so you get it from him.
You are wearing Newborn size diapers still.
We took you to the Dr. last week and you already weigh 8 lbs. We were not surprised by the amount of food you like to eat.
You love your bouncy seat. You can snooze in it for a few hours. You aren't sure about your swing. You love your tummy time mat and could lay there and kick for hours. You sleep by Mommy & Daddy in the Pack n Play in our room but Mommy has been pulling the curtains in your room to lay you down for a nap in your crib.
We are still swaddling you at night.
You have pretty much outgrown your Newborn size clothes. Some 0-3 months are still big on you so you are kind of between sizes. No shoes fit your little feet yet. Mom can't wait to put some cute little shoes on those feet!
You love car rides. You are such a good baby when we ride in the car or go anywhere in your stroller.
You have been to Target about 2-3 times already. You and Mom ventured out by yourself for the first time last week. It was a nice little trip and we stopped at the snack bar so you could eat.
You are really strong little girl and you are beginning to hold your head up more and look around.
You love looking at lights and fans.
You didn't love your first real bath but after the first one you seem much better and just looked at Mommy & Daddy while we bathed you.
Adlee, Mommy & Daddy love you soooo much! We are so thankful you are in our lives and look forward to every day seeing new things you do.

Other stuff:
Yesterday we went to my Mom & Steve's to visit since Steve just got out of the hospital after having colon surgery. This picture of Chloe looking at Adlee is funny! At first Chloe didn't seem to care that there was a baby around because Adlee was sleeping when we first got there. But when she woke up to eat and Chloe realized that she makes noises, she was like what is that and why is it at my house:)

Awww....Chloe!!!

Last night when we got home Adlee was really alert and just looking all over the place and holding her head up by herself really well.

Pretty girl in Purple.

Adlee got a new chair!!

Adlee got a new chair yesterday...thanks to her Grandma Jan and so I had to take a few pics of her in it. Her Grandma is in France right now with Aunt Darci, Uncle Kyle and cousins Hank & Maggie so I thought I would post the pics on the blog for her to see while she is vacationing...





This picture cracks me up....she was over having her picture taken. She isn't much of a fan of being photographed...


And she loves to lay on the floor and kick and play. She is content for a long time. Really the only time she cries is when she is hungry....

She was able to Skype with her Grandma Jan while Jan is in France. I should have taken a picture...we put the computer on the floor by her while she was laying on the floor. She has changed so much just since her Grandma saw her last..


And a few other pictures to enjoy...

She loves napping on her Daddy's chest. Daddy is a snuggly guy!

Excuse my look in this pic. This was a lazy day:) Enjoying holding my girl.

Lucie was babysitting for us:) Haha!

Little Lu Lu's life has changed forever. She is not the spoiled baby anymore...Adlee is!

The dogs have been great with her and watch over her.

Grandpa Kenny...my Dad...holding his Granddaughter.

Grandma Sharon...My Step Mom holding her Granddaughter.

Yes, she is Daddy's Little Lady!

Growing Like A Weed!

Our Adlee is growing fast before our eyes and changing more every day. Yesterday she had her first Well Baby visit and she already weighs 8lbs 3.5oz. She is a very good eater. She wants to eat about every 2-3 hours. The girl definitely likes her food...just like her Mommy & Daddy:)
She did great at her Dr. appt. She was awake the whole time and did not cry or fuss at all. She is looking great and is right on track and doing everything a little over 3 week old should be doing....Eating, Sleeping, Pooping and Peeing:)
We try to give her some play time different times of the day and she just loves to lay on the blanket on the floor and just kick and coo. It is soooo cute. She just looks around and sometimes she gets mad if you try to interrupt her floor time. We think she might be a runner the way she gets her little legs a moving. She is on a mission that is for sure.
Last night we gave her her first real bath. Jeremy took a video which I will try to upload once I actually take videos off our Flip and put them on my computer. She loved it when she had water on her or being splashed on her. But she threw a little fit and wasn't so sure about the whole process.
Jeremy and I can't get enough of this little girl. She is so fun. Although it is very tiring, she is definitely our little angel baby that we love dearly.
Below are some pics taken over the past couple of weeks that I have just now gotten around to post...

Trying a photo shoot with her I Love Mom shirt on but she really was not having it.


We visited Daddy's school. Even though school is out for summer, Daddy still has to go to work. He comes home every day and has lunch with us and snuggles with his baby girl.


Chillin on her newborn lounger.

Erin and her Mom came to visit last week.

She likes to lay on Daddy quite a bit..

I thought I turned this picture...but oh well...this was her on 4th of July...

A little Mommy/Daughter self portrait...I am sure we will have plenty of these:) Oh she was sleeping and didn't really care anyway...

"Um, could you please get that camera out of my face!"

Loving her floor time on the blankie.

Adlee's Birth Story

On June 18th, 2010 our lives changed forever. Jeremy and I woke up thinking we were going to go about a typical Friday. Little did we know, we would be welcoming our baby girl almost 2 weeks early.
On Thursday on my way home from work I was very uncomfortable. I was ready to get home and relax. Once I got home and relaxed on the couch I felt better so I thought maybe I had just over done it at work. Friday morning I had my regular weekly appointment at 8:15. My plan was to go to my appointment and then head to work right after. Jeremy was planning to go to work as well. I woke up on Friday and again felt uncomfortable. I could barely eat my cereal. Jeremy decided he would take me to my appointment just in case and then drop me off at work after. We decided we would take our hospital bags along as well....just in case.
When I arrived at my appointment, I let the Nurse Practioner know how I had been feeling. (I see her every other appointment and see my Dr. every other appointment...this particular day...my Dr. was off of work). She decided to hook me up to monitors and see if I was having contractions. Sure enough, I was having contractions...they did not hurt, but was just a little uncomfortable. At this point I was still only dialated to a 2, same as the week before. She indicated she wanted us to go walk for a while and come back to be checked again to see if any sign of labor was actually happening. She also indicated that we should go eat something as if I am in labor I will not be able to eat for a long time. So we headed to Panera, I got my chocolate chip bagel with light hazelnut cream cheese. We then headed to the mall....we walked 3 full laps at the mall and went back to the Dr. office. Within the hour to hour and a half time frame I had dialated another cm. She consulted with the Dr. that was in the office and they decided to send us to labor & delivery. We headed over to the hospital from the clinic to labor & delivery around 12 or 12:30. We got all checked in, hooked up to monitors. My contractions were there but were consistent for a while and then would die off and then come back. Around 2 or 2:30 they had me get up and start walking around labor & delivery. I walked for an hour and came back...they checked me and I dialated another cm.
The day went by so fast, it was almost a blur. Before I knew it I was having my water broke and my epidural. I know they broke my water I believe at 6:10 and by 9:15 I was fully dialated and ready to push. I began pushing at 9:15 and pushed for 2 hours.
I was never ever in pain during the whole process. The worst part was getting the epidural. The person that administered the epidural tried about 5 times in one location of my back only for the catheder to come out and ended up having to start all over in another part of my back. I had Jeremy on one side of me and a nurse on the other holding my hands and I was sweating bullets...it was not the most pleasant experience. I am very glad I got the epidural as like I said, I had no pain the whole entire day...even before I got the epidural. Even between pushes I was having Jeremy text our family in the waiting room, having a normal conversation with the nurse and eating ice chips!
At 11:15 pm we welcomed the most beautiful baby girl in the world. Adlee Marie Darnell was born weighing in at 6 lbs. 14 oz. 20 inches long. She came out and grabbed on to the Drs smock. Jeremy said my facial expression was priceless to see my reaction when I saw our baby girl for the first time. I just kept saying oh my goodness she is beautiful...oh my goodness she is beautiful! I could not get over and I still stare at her for hours.
I was fortunate that the Dr. on call at the hospital was the high risk Dr. Not that anything was wrong with Adlee, because there was not, but I spose if you can't have your regular Dr. then the high risk Dr. is the one you want to deliver your baby. And he was awesome!!! I have no complaints what so ever about the labor & delivery. My green popsicle was especially awesome since I was soooooo hungry.
I feel very fortunate to have had a pretty easy labor & delivery for being my first pregnancy. I think someone was looking over us knowing all the problems we had to get her here.
Our family was patiently waiting in the waiting room. They had to wait a little while but they weren't leaving for nothing. I think they finally got to come in and see their new Grandbaby around midnight.
We decided to take a few pics in the delivery room to have for keepsake. The only person in the room for the longest time was myself, Jeremy and the nurse. Right before Adlee was born, the Dr. came in to deliver her and 2 other nurses came in to help out with the delivery and to clean her up, etc.
One thing I can say is my husband was the best thing on earth during the whole labor & delivery. Jeremy does have coaching experience, however his coaching in the labor & delivery room was exceptional. He was soooo good to me and did everything I asked and was such a great support person. His expression was just as priceless when he saw his baby girl for the first time as well. Once she was born and took to the warmer I had him go over to be with her and she immediately grabbed his finger and had a good grip on it. How precious is that. She knew it was her Daddy already!
Again, Jeremy and I are thrilled to have our little Adlee girl in our lives. She is just precious. Although we are a little sleep deprived and our lives are forever changed, we don't know what we would do without this little girl now!!!

Self portrait, getting ready to have a baby!

Pictures of the labor & delivery room below...

Jeremy thought he would take a picture of the clock:) Adlee was born almost 6 hours later, although it didn't seem that long!

Sneak Peek at Adlee's Newborn Pics!

Today we had Adlee's Newborn pics taken and the photographer posted a couple for us to see....they turned out sooo cute...I can't wait to see the rest!
We are doing great. My blog posting has diminished as we are trying to adjust and our days fly by with Eat, Sleep and Poop! But it is great and this little girl is great! We love her sooooo much!