5 months!

Typing this makes me realize that my baby girl is almost half a year old!  WHAT!?!?  Where has this year gone?  I've found myself wishing I could just keep her little.  I love her sweet baby skin, her wittle feet, her rolls (once she finally got a few), and that sweet, sweet baby breath.  Oh if I could just bottle it all up!  But what I'm learning as I go is it just gets better and better.  

So my sweet Landry, here you are at 5 months:

5 months!!

~Weighs around 12 lbs. 8 oz. (probably more now) and I'm guessing around 24 1/2 inches...we don't know exact #'s since you didn't have a doctors appointment this month
~Still size 1 diapers (the 2's look so big but I don't think they are too far away), mainly 3-6 month clothes but some 0-3, 3, and even some 6 month things...we had to get 6-12 month socks for your long feet!
~You nurse 5 times a day (every 4-5 hours with no middle of the night feedings).
~September 22nd you tasted your first real food (bananas)!  You loved them (or at least your bib did).
So far you've tried bananas, carrots, squash, green beans, sweet potatoes and peaches. You weren't keen on the green beans and squash until I mixed them with bananas...weird, I know, but you liked it!
~You nap 2-3x's/day, usually in your swing (aka "the sleep maker" per daddy).
~You talk nonstop even trying to imitate us!  Always cooing, babbling, and squealing.  This speech pathologist mama LOVES it!!
~You have the best belly laugh.  It's contagious.
~You started trying to put your pacifier back in your mouth.  You've almost got it down.
~You jump like crazy in your jumperoo.
~You started sleeping flat in your crib, no more Nap Nanny!  It never phased you.  You started rolling onto your left side to sleep (just like mommy).
~Anytime you are on your back you turn in circles (not rolling, scooting).  You will do a 180 degree turn in your crib.  It's pretty cute.
~I think you'd be army crawling if you could get a little traction.  You scoot your legs up to push off and use your arms to pull.
~You are working on sitting up, still doing V-ups and trying to get your balance but topple easily.
~October 11th you flew home to Louisiana with mommy.  I was a nervous wreck but you did great!  Everyone said you were the best baby they'd ever seen on an airplane, and I had to agree :)
~Things you love:
     -  Sophie the giraffe
     -  your LaMaze butterfly
     -  jumping in your jumperoo
     -  mommy and daddy -- just hearing our voice makes you happy :)
     -  eating sweets (bananas, carrots, peaches)
     -  talking
     -  music and dancing (you love watching mommy dance)

In other news, we've been loving our last fall in Virginia.  It's hard to believe this is Matt's last year of law school, and it's already almost halfway over!  I can't wait to be closer to home next year, but I sure will miss this beautiful state.  Here we are at our last trip to Carter Mountain (Landry loved the apple picking and pumpkin patch so much she slept, ha).

This past weekend Landry and I were recovering from a stomach bug, so we didn't do much of anything.   After Landry-bug got to feeling better, she helped Matt rake the leaves (before hurricane Sandy hit and un-did it all).  Gotta teach kids early, right?  She was pretty content initially...

but she finally got fed up with the mamarazzi!

                                     

I could just eat this cutie up!!

I feel so blessed to have survived the storm with power...it snowed and stormed pretty bad just over the mountain, but we didn't get much at all here, unlike they predicted.  Praying for those that weren't so lucky, especially the elderly, the sick, and those with little kids.  I cannot imagine what they are going through.  I just find myself praying that God would meet their every need.

~Megan~

Landry's First 4 Months!

Sweet Landry Kate...here's a glimpse of your first 4 months!

1 Month!!

~ You weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and measured 20 and 3/4 inches long

~You were wearing preemie and some newborn outfits (though some were still pretty big 

on you).

~ Still wore newborn diapers.

~You're known as: Landry Bug, angel baby, bity baby, baby bug, and angel pie

~You were diagnosed with reflux and started on Zantac.

~You nursed every 3 hours on the hour...except at 3 weeks old when you hit your first 

growth spurt, you ate pretty much all the time then.  ALL. THE. TIME. No kidding.  It 

took you around an hour to eat...eek!

~You made your first road trip to Dallas with Uncle Stu and me.  Stu babysat you for a 

few hours and gave you your first full bottle of expressed milk.  Stu drove you around, 

swung you in your "bucket" (carseat), let the kitchen sink run, and dressed you from the 

bottom up all to keep you happy!

~At 5 weeks you got your nap nanny and finally slept 4-5 hours straight!

~At 5 weeks you SMILED!  A genuine smile!  (melted my heart)

~You were so strong.  It amazed me.  You held your head up more and more each day.

~Some of the things you loved:

     -  being swaddled tight

     -  being walked and bounced (we danced A LOT)

     -  being outside

     -  riding in the car

     -  running water

     -  people singing to you

     - and you LOVED your mama (I'm still eating it up!)

~On another note, you DID NOT like being naked.  Every time we changed your diaper       

or clothes you lost it.  Your great Mammaws McMahen and Stuart threatened to spank 

my behind if I didn't keep you happy. They did NOT like hearing "their baby" cry ;)

2 Months!!

~Weighed in at 10 lbs. 5 oz. and measured 22 inches long!

~You transitioned to size 1 diapers over the course of the month.

~You were wearing some newborn and some 0-3 month clothes...socks fell off your feet 

because your legs were too skinny ;)

~You nursed every 3 hours like clock work during the day. Started stretching night feeds 

to 6-8 hours.  You hit another growth spurt around 6 weeks.  Every once in a while we 

had to supplement with GentleEase but you never seemed to mind.  **You got a 

little faster at eating, 30-45ish minutes**

~Aunt Marci, Bebe, Uncle Stu, Papa Mac and I took you to the Spring Theater for your

first movie (Bernie).  You were so good.  Never made a peep!

~You got your first set of immunizations.  You cried briefly but handled them very 

well...until that night when you ran a low-grade fever and appeared to feel horrible.    

Thankfully it only lasted a day or two.

~You visited your Mammaw McMahen in the hospital.  It was the best medicine she 

could have asked for.  Oh she loved you so. You were the light of her life this summer.

~You made your first trip to the farm!  Papa Mac introduced you to the cows and his 

tractors.  You also watched your first surgery at the vet clinic.  You didn't even get  

queasy!

~You started rolling over from tummy to back! (I was one proud mama!)

~Some of the things you LOVED:

     -  the ceiling fan (your favorite entertainment)

     -  being outside     

     -  riding in the car     

     -  baths 

     -  being swaddled, bounced, walked, danced with, etc. 

    -  your Nap Nanny

     -  and you LOVE your Uncle Stu (I think you can tell him apart from else because of his whiskers)

3 months!!

~Around 11 lbs and 8 oz. and ~23 inches long (you didn't have a doctors appointment so     

we don't know exact #'s).

~Size 1 diapers, 0-3 month and 3 month clothes (some were still huge on you!)...0-6 

month socks though most of them still fell off your long, skinny feet!

~Still nursed every 3 hours, sometimes stretched it to 4...occasionaly nursed 1x/night 

**only took 20 or so minutes to eat!!**

~You started talking a lot this month!  You loved practicing your vowel sounds and 

raspberries (you imitated us when we do it first).

~Oh my drool!!  Bibs became a must ;)

~You started smiling and laughing back at us, so precious! 

~You went to church (Central Baptist) for the first time this month!  You slept straight 

through!  It reminded me of Stuart and Chet when they were teenagers little :)

~We had your "Sip and See" July 29th.  Everyone wanted to see you!

~You visited Mammaw McMahen in ICU August 4-5...she asked to see you and she got 

her wish.  I think you were the last thing that made her smile this side of Heaven.  Oh 

how she loved her sweet Landry.

~You went to Mammaw McMahen's funeral August 8th and were so very good and       

looked like a doll.  She would have been proud! And I think it did all of us good to have     

your happy little self around.

~You made the 20+ hour trip from Louisiana to Virginia August 9-10.  Longest trip ever, 

thankfully Bebe made the trip with us.  You lost it after 12+ hours on day 1, but after we   

stopped, you were fine.  Day 2 wasn't a problem at all!

~August 13th was your first day home with dad (and Bebe since she was still here) 

without me (it was my first day back to work).  You didn't seem to miss me one bit 

missed me every second I was away :) 

~August 13th you noticed Doolie and gave her attention for the first time. It was too cute!

~Things you loved:

     -  rattle and toys that make noise

     -  double sided animal toy/rattle (you LOVED the elephant)

     -  MAM pacifiers (I found several in Papa Mac's truck before we started our trip home)     

     -  practicing your vowel sounds and raspberries

4 months!!

~12 lbs 2 oz, 24 inches long

~size 1 diapers, mainly 3 month (some 0-3 and 3-6 month) clothes and 0-6 month socks

~Nursed every 4-5 hours (5-6x/day)...usually no middle of the night feedings!    

Supplemented as needed 1x/day. **You had gotten SO much faster at eating, it only    

took ~10 minutes by 4 months!!**

~Dad started keeping you every day while I was at work.  I like to think you missed me,     

but you actually loved your daddy time.  He won't put a bow on you, but he loves to sit 

other things (toys and whatnot) and your head.  You think it's too funny.

~You went to The Point Church for the first time (August 19).

~At the beginning of month 4 you found your toes

~Started getting startled with loud noises (sneezes, slamming doors, etc.)...they terrify 

you...and make you scream and scream

~You started reaching for your toys (August 28).

~You also made your first trip to Chipotle (Sept. 3) and must of loved it because you     

laughed and smiled the entire time.

~Sometime between 3-4 months you started to belly laugh.  It makes me happy.

~You got your jumperoo/exercauser...and you LOVE it.  

~Things you loved:

     -  attention     

     -  your changing table     

     -  the mirror     

     -  talking and squealing - you loved playing with your voice

     -  your singing, wobble toy

     -  LaMaze butterfly

     

Whew!  That was a lot!  I'm sure nobody hung in there to the end, but I wanted to have it all documented for my sake!

  

~Megan~

The Summer of Landry - Part 1

May 12, 2012 - 38 weeks and headed to the hospital!!!

**Funny Story: just before taking this picture, Marci and I locked the keys 

in my car at Walgreens...we laughed until we almost cried.  

One last family pic, just the 3 of us, before we headed to the hospital.

We checked into the hospital around 10:00 p.m., they got me hooked up to monitors and ready to go in no time.  Looking back, I'm fairly certain I had already gone into labor, but at the time, I didn't know :)  My water broke on its own around 2-3 a.m., they started meds around 5-6 a.m., I got an epidural at 

7 a.m. (those things are truly amazing though I think I was blessed with

 one of the easiest labors ever), and then rested and waited...

Waiting for Dr. Robertson

 We had a waiting room full of family including Dr. Robertson's family (seeing as it was also his birthday and Mother's Day) ready to meet this little angel!

At 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 13, 2012

Landry Kate Colvin was born!

6 lbs. 4 oz., 20 inches, and absolutely perfect!!

Matt was one proud daddy!

First family pic as a family of 3 

(well, 4 given Doolie-Belle)

After a quick hospital stay, we packed this little cutie up 

and headed home on Monday, May 14.

One last hospital pic with her wreath 

(it's hard to see but the pennants said "Landry Kate").

Buckled up and ready to go!

And that's how the Summer of Landry began!

Stayed tuned for Part 2!!

~Megan~

  

Catching Up

It's been a while..a long while, ha!  So I'm going to try to catch up on what's been going on in the Colvin household since I last blogged.

Here's a photo rundown to get us caught up a little:

~ March 23-25: our "babymoon" to D.C.
 

31-32 weeks in D.C.

~ April 1st: Katrina Kuhn hosted a C'Ville shower for Landry!  And Marci got to come!!

Precious decor!

Mikey, Marci, and me (32-33 weeks)

Me, Kruse (sporting Landry's headband :), Marci, and Kason)

Katrina and me (Love this girl like a sister!)

 **Funny story: The boys (pictured above) thought that "party day" meant Landry would be there, so they couldn't wait.  Katrina had some explaining to do!  They sang "Happy Birthday baby" all day anyway ;)

After the shower, we went to watch Matt play on Co-Rec Blue in the UVa Law Invitational softball tournament.  They came in second!!

~ April 6-8 (Easter weekend):

Me (33-34 weeks) & Matt
@ Ben Martin's annual crawfish boil

Easter Sunday (33-34 weeks)

~April 10th: I was measuring small (30 cm's) at my regular check-up, so my doctor ordered a stat US.  ~April 12th: we had our US showing that Landry was just fine, measuring in the 63rd %ile for size.  God is good!!

~April 15th: Section K threw Landry a shower!

partial Section K group pic from the shower

awesome diaper cake

~April 22nd: Midpoint hosted a shower for Landry, but I failed to take a picture :(  But I did snap one pic that weekend.

35-36 weeks 

~April 27th: A CNA at work hosted a surprise shower on my last day of work!  How blessed am I?!?  It's truly overwhelming!

The CNA (Thelma) had a cake made with my baby pic on it!  So Sweet.

~April 28th:  Mom and day flew in on the 27th and we headed to Louisiana on the 28th!  Oh my was last a long road trip at 36-37 weeks preggers.  I was afraid I had lost my ankles for good!!

36-37 weeks about to leave for Louisiana

~ My first appointment with Dr. Robertson in La was early Monday morning (Apirl 30th).  A follow-up ultrasound showed that Landry still wasn't growing well.  She had fallen from the 63rd to 2.7th %ile for size.  Somehow I didn't hear or see the point or decimal because I thought it was the 27th which isn't near as bad as the 2.7th (yeah...I think it was God's way of keeping me calm) :)  Sooo...talk of inducing began. In the meantime, I nested like the best mama bird anyone could imagine, cleaning out closets at mom's house, washing cars, and baking cookies for the hospital.

And I spent a lot of time with my oldest daughter, sweet Doolie-Belle.  She LOVED the pool this summer.

~May 7th: I had my last scheduled prenatal appointment with Scott.  I was already 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced.  Praise the Lord, Landry had grown to the 17th %ile by that appointment, but he felt best not letting her go much past 38 weeks...so we set a date: May 13th!  and let Matt know that he should wrap up finals asap ;)  He got home a few days before she was born, so we got a little last minute time alone. 

Our last date night as a family of 2 the night before
we checked in to the hospital! (May 11th)

Whew...sorry this was so long!  I've got to get better at staying caught up!  

Stay tuned for "The Summer of Landry" - complete with pics of one cute baby!!!

~Megan~

Single Digits!!

So we are finally in the single digit count down for weeks until Landry gets here!  Less than 9 weeks to go!!!  I realized yesterday that I only have 6 weeks, or 5 weekends, depending on how you look at it, before I go on maternity leave/head to Louisiana...and I have SO MUCH to do before then!  Yep, I had a mini-anxiety attack but managed to pick myself up and take a nap be productive.  I have to keep reminding myself that everything that HAS to get done will...eventually...by someone (thank you Lord for my mama), ha!  So here's a rundown of our past month:

• March 3-11: Matt's Spring Break aka Megan's week of sheer jealousy!  Thank you boss-lady for not letting me take my week of leave   teaching me to be thankful I have a job.  The week started off with 8-9 inches of snow, followed by 70 degree days - crazy, crazy weather!
• March 5: 29 week appointment with Dr. Arnold (first time we got to meet him) - Everything looked good!  Only gained 2 lbs for a total of 16 lbs which I'll happily take!  (Here's to hoping that number doesn't continue to rapidly rise!!)
• March 8-11: We flew home for our home baby shower March 10th!  What a rushed yet amazing weekend.  I am still overwhelmed by all of the love and support.  Two old friends came in for my shower (Janice Stockman drove from Alabama and Catey Batte drove from New Orleans) - it was so good to get to catch up with old friends.  Pictures to come...
• This coming weekend, Matt and I are taking our last little "get-away" as a family of 2!  We're going D.C. for the weekend since I've never really been and it's so close.  I can't wait!!

And as for my most recent bump update (30-31 week pic/update to come)...

 

Weeks 28-29: 

Size of baby:   ~15 to 15 1/2 inches and ~2.5-3 lbs. 

(praying she gets her dad's height and not mine - I was only 17 1/2 inches 

when I was born at full-term!  Things haven't changed much!)

Maternity Clothes:  still wearing some non-maternity shirts and yoga pants

Weight Gain:  16 lbs. at my 29 week appointment

 Movement:  Oh yeah!

Sleep:  Poor!  I can't seem to get/stay comfortable.  

Not to mention I need to use the bathroom every 30 minutes (or so it seems).  And I think poor Matt is tired of me sleeping on his side of the bed (closer to the bathroom) and cuddling with 

a king size pillow instead of him.

Symptoms:  tired back and legs by the end of the day and some very unfortunate spider veins 

around my left ankle (compression hose here I come!); so glad the headaches and 

nosebleeds have eased up

Cravings:  nothing much - still liking fruit and colder things,

still not keen on meat

Best Moment of the Week:  getting ready to go home for Landry's baby shower!!!  

And hearing that everything looked perfect at our 29 week appointment.  

Nice strong heartbeat around 130 bpm!

~Megan~

T-13 weeks!!!

Without further delay, here are Baby Girl's latest ultrasound pics (taken at 21 weeks)....

Baby Girl's sweet face

ankles crossed like a lady :)

One of my favorites!  Look at that leg!  And foot!  So developed already!!

And last but not least, her precious profile!

I can't believe how developed she already was at 21 weeks!  It took the ultrasound tech  at least an hour to get all of the anatomical pics she needed because Baby Girl was so active!  She's definitely getting stronger and bigger by the day (as is her mama! ha!).  It hit me yesterday that I'm only 10 weeks away from going out on maternity leave!  HOLY COW...just 10 weeks!!


Needless to say, most of my non-work time lately has been focused on creating our baby registry.  And can I just say, it is COMPLETELY overwhelming!  I think the best advice I've gotten is from a high school friend: "All she needs is a place to sleep, food, plenty of diapers, and lots of love."  I think we can manage that :)


Friday before last I had my monthly check-up.  It was at the end of 25 weeks/beginning of 26 weeks (not really sure when I change over because I was measuring 4 days early at my last ultrasound).  According to my doctor my fundus was measuring exactly 26 centimeters which was just perfect for the 26 week mark (God never ceases to amaze me)!  That weekend Matt talked me into going to the Barrister's Ball...and somehow I managed to wear the same dress I wore last year which made this mama happy, ha!

25-26 weeks (headed to Barrister's)

Weeks 25-26: 

Size of baby:   ~14 inches head to heel and ~1 and 2/3 lbs

Maternity Clothes:  maternity jeans and some maternity tops (mostly for length) though I'm wearing non-maternity sweats/yoga pants and some regular tops

Weight Gain:  14 lbs (eek!) at my 25-26 week check-up

 Movement:  Oh yes!  Matt can actually watch her move my belly now.

Sleep:  Not good.  Lots of nose bleeds waking me up and just can't seem to get comfortable.  To top it off at the end of 24/beginning of 25 weeks I hurt my neck and that just made it 

100x's worse for several days.

Symptoms:  Nose bleeds (at least 2 a day), discomfort from my belly stretching/growing, some heartburn but not too bad, some lower back pain, and little red spots (like burst blood vessels) scattered across my shoulders/upper chest - apparently they are harmless and will go 

away after delivery

Cravings:  not too much...still liking scrambled eggs and fruit

Best Moment of the Week:  Matt getting to see Baby Girl move my belly!  

And getting the sweetest gift from a patient (see below).

Hand knitted sweater from a sweet, sweet patient (not even one of my patients)!

T-13 weeks to go!!!!

~Megan~

Show Your Singles

Kelly's Korner Blog is having a "Show Us Your Singles" link up.  I've never done this before, but lets be honest, with the amazing single I know, how could I resist!  Stuart McMahen is a 30 year-old small town guy from North Louisiana.  He's a graduate of Centenary College and Vanderbilt Law, a great Christian guy, and  an avid sports fan (Geaux Tigers!!!).

And did I mention he is the BEST brother and friend a girl could ever ask for?!?

He is truly an amazing catch!  

~Megan~

Finally...

So I've somehow managed to get myself together enough to take a few bump pics.  Of course, I couldn't get myself together enough to post them on here in a timely manner, ha!  This is for you, Marci and mom :)

20-21 weeks

(right before we watched LSU's peewee team

forget to show up for the BCS Championship)

23-24 weeks

I feel like I am getting bigger by the minute - and not just in my belly.  And apparently I am...a lady I don't really know saw me yesterday and her first response was "Your butt done got fat..."  Well, thank you very much kind stranger.  Just what I wanted to hear this fine morning.  It seriously took everything in me to not snap!  Hopefully tomorrow I'll get our latest ultrasound pics and weekly updates up!  We shall see ;)

~Megan~