Life with Kinney...in a nutshell!

Last day of work

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it has been 4 months since I have updated my blog. And in that time somethings LOTS of things have changed. Our lives have been turned upside down and revolve around a now 12 lbs. baby girl that melts our hearts every. single. day.... Kinney Lessie

On February 7th, 2013, I was induced. As Adam's facebook status said, it was "game time". We checked into the hospital around 6am and around 7:30am the nurses started the pitocin and at this time they thought Kinney would make her entrance between 7-8pm making it a 11 hour L&D...(when in the end when it was all said an done, it turned out to be a 16 hour L&D). Contractions started and held out for as long as I could before the epidural. Here is the weird thing about the whole epidural experience (for me) it is one of the things that I can recall vividly and remember as one of the sweetest moments between Adam and me. I was scared out of my mind!!! He was SUCH a rock...absolutely incredible. The foreign Russian anesthesiologist came into the room and I could hardly understand a thing he was saying. The nurses sat me up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. They gave Adam a stool to sit on directly in front of me. I looked into his eyes and immediately started crying, even before the needles were unpackaged. Adam held onto my hands and smiled through the whole thing. Now, I know that sounds weird and someone reading this might think "I would slap that smile off his face," but he wasn't smiling because I was in pain he was smiling because he was trying to make me happy...to make me smile. It was a sweet moment between the two of us, before we brought our daughter into the world. I did jump a little when the needle was inserted but it was over within seconds. Epidurals are the BEST thing on this planet...once I had it I slept like a baby and took naps off and on while I was in LABOR. Around lunch time the nurses came in and upped my pitocin dosage and not too long after they left I noticed that my vision was going blurry, seeing spots and that things were turning black. I sat up and told Adam "I CAN'T SEE!" he flew out the door to track down the nurses. They came in and checked my vital signs my blood pressure had dropped significantly low and causing Kinney's heart rate to drop. Now isn't that something?!?! All along I have been told, "don't be worried if you have high blood pressure, it's normal because you are scared," I have never heard of someone having a baby having low blood pressure. The pitocin was put to a stop and I had to wear an oxygen mask for a couple of hours. When the pitocin started again things progressed smoothly and rather fast. Before I knew it and before I was (mentally) prepared I had a nurse telling me it was time to push. Not too long after I started pushing the epidural wore off and the doctor would not allow for me to have more (because then it would be too difficult for me to push). Adam was a champ. A lot of people are curious about how Adam did during delivery...let me tell you this...Adam is your "typical" guy he's not overly emotional. I've never known him to shed a tear during any "milestone" in our relationship, for example like when we got married. But in the last 30min of pushing he could see Kinney "crowning" (the top of her head) and he started crying and didn't stop until the emotion of excitement overtook him. And when I say crying, I don't mean balling or sobbing...just a steady flow of tears. It was sweet...and again one of the few things that I can vividly remember.

Kinney Lessie was born at 12:30am February 8th weighing in at 9.3 lbs and 21 1/2 inches. One of the nurses told me that she was the biggest baby that she had ever delivered vaginally. Both sets of FIRST time grandparents were there to welcome their sweet granddaughter into the world. Even my grandmother (Kinney's great grandmother) made the 8 hour trek to Memphis for her arrival. Thank goodness for pictures because much like on my wedding day things are a blur. I was in SO MUCH pain after delivery...and not the nicest person (because I had no epidural...why anyone would want to go "natural" is well beyond me) that I can't remember much other than I wanted drugs and I wanted them BAD. It wasn't until after all the commotion, everyone had left, I had devoured my Big Mac meal (courtesy of Adam's parents), Kinney came back to us after being bathed that I made that emotional bond that every Mama talks about. The undying love that I felt for her amazed me. To put it simply I felt like I had loved her all my life...but she was only an hour old. I didn't sleep AT ALL that night. I just held her and talked to her while we sat in the hospital bed and watched the oldies but goodies, "Golden Girls" and "I Love Lucy"...ironically these are still the shows that we watch today when I get up to feed her. Daddy was able to get a tiny bit of shut eye that night...even though it was difficult because nurses kept coming in to check my vital signs.

God has put a little miracle into our lives. She is a bit of sunshine every single day. I wake up living for her tiny smiles. Her daddy rushes home to play with her and do bath time. It sounds cheesey doesn't it? You just wait until it's your turn and then get back to me :)

After Kinney was born my parents stayed with us for 10 days. They will never know the gratitude I have towards them (and for them). My Mama made dinner and cleaned up every night. One time she asked me if there was anything I wanted...I had been craving a red velvet cake. She made a deliciously scrumptious red velvet cake...absolutely delishes. I thought my parents coming for the week was to help me out with Kinney. I didn't realize how much they were going to be helping ME. Especially my Mama. The lengths a mama will go through to help their child ;)

Probably my favorite picture of her. She just looks so cute!

A week later Kinney had her newborn pictures by Snap Happy Photography. I don't have too much to say about them because the pictures speak for themselves. They are simply gorgeous and we could not be more pleased!!!! And these are just a few---we have yet to get the rest back so we are both on pins and needles to see them :)  Jennifer and her hubby were amazing...I have a new found respect for newborn photographers. When Adam told me that they would need 4+ hours to photograph Kinney, I thought WHAT IN THE WORLD...they used every minute of those 4+ hours...needles to say that little Miss.Kinney is most certainly head strong and will not do something if she doesn't want to do it! (I wonder where she gets that from). But Jennifer and her husband were awesome and totally understanding. We would break to let me feed her and then rock her back to sleep. Honestly, I could not be more excited about the outcome!

I think Adam put it best, after I delivered Kinney, "How could you not believe in God?" It was a simple statement that he made...but it has really stuck with me. Adam constantly calls Kinney our "miracle baby"...as I wrote in my last post, we experienced a few trials and tribulations during the course of my pregnancy (words thrown around such as: downs syndrome, miscarriage and heart surgery). Things that in comparison to what other's experience and go through is minute...but shook our worlds to the core. As I have stated time and time again we didn't know how bad we wanted something until it (she) was in jeopardy. Kinney wasn't part of our plan (yet) but she was (is) part of Gods plan. Since giving birth I have realized even MORE how much God has blessed us and continued to answer our prayers of a healthy baby girl. But now things hit a lot closer to home and God has a way of keeping me in check.

For example: One night...late, while I was up feeding Kinney I was facebook surfing. A facebook friend of mine "liked" a post so it showed up on my minifeed...this is what the post said:
"I am updating tonight to ask for prayers once again. I know that the Lord works miracles and already has for Ella Grace. We have been following up with the pediatric cardiologist since we were discharged from the hospital. She was born with two holes in her heart; both seemed to be insignificant when we were in the hospital. One of them pretty much closed within the past two months. However, she still has a VSD that is moderate and doesn't show signs of closing. The cardiologist took her case to the board two weeks ago and they decided that it was best to go ahead and send us to Emory to do open heart surgery. We met with the cardiologist again last week and I asked for more time to see if the hole will close on its own (like most of them do). He agreed we would follow up in four weeks to do a repeat Echocardiogram but doesn't think anything will change. They believe surgery is best before irreversible damage is done. I just do not want to do the surgery unless absolutely necessary but I know the doctors will do what is best for her. If and when we go to Emory it will be at least a week stay in the hospital (3-4 days in cardiac ICU). It's definitely scary and I get emotional just thinking about it. I will keep everyone posted but just ask for prayers for her heart to be healed. Love, Ashlyn"

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Baby Ella Grace

If you read my last post you read that I had to see a high risk doctor because Kinney had 2 holes in her heart. One hole the doctors thought would close on its own and the other hole doctors thought would need to be closed with surgery. We prayed and cried many many tears over our little girls heart and God answered our prayers. I wept when I read Baby Ella Grace's post. It hurt my heart for her family...I questioned God and why he healed our little girl but not Ella Grace...realizing how silly that question was just seconds after thinking it. Clearly God has great plans for Ella Grace AND her family. He knows what they can handle...but in the mean time He was making sure that I knew not to ever take my Kinney for guaranteed ..things could most certainly be different. I continue to pray for Baby Ella Grace...and when I think about it stop by her facebook page for updates. Ella's heart is only a SMALL part of her overall story:  

"Some of you know that two very special people in my life welcomed their precious baby girl Ella Grace Tebeau into the world last week. Shortly after delivery Ella Grace was having complications and we later found out she has a form of Leukemia. This poor baby has now underwent an entire body blood transfusion and 3 doses of Chemo. 

It's going to be a long road for Ella Grace and the Tebeau Family and I am asking for any help you can give. First and foremost, please keep this beautiful baby girl in your prayers. She is such a fighter and has endured so much in just a week. Secondly, we are conducting a raffle for a $250 VISA gift card. Each ticket will be $5 and all the donations and ticket prices will go directly towards the family and the medical bills. You can message me for tickets and I will get them to you. If I can't meet you we are mailing them out.Thank you all so much for reading this and thank you all for the continued support and prayers. God bless!"

I ask you (yes you) to include her and her family in your prayers.

So, now on to the latest update on us and Kinney. Adam and me are fine....okay, so maybe I am not quite as fine as Adam. I started back to work this week. Meaning...Kinney started daycare :(  Talk about a HUGE STEP FOR ME...I don't feel comfortable leaving Kinney unless one of her parents is present (aka me...aka Adam) even if you are family or friends (don't take offense, it's not you, it's me...being a first time parent makes you (seem) borderline crazy). There will be more to post in the future about Kinney's daycare adventures but right now we're just dipping our toes in the water and I cry everyday (it's only been 2 so cut me some slack).

Sweet girl's first Easter :)

This weekend we are packing up our bags and heading to Macon/Atlanta! We're cohosting a baby shower for our sweet friends Brian and Deana (they are expecting their first child...a baby girl...KATE...in June) and attending a wedding shower for some amazing college friends Rob and Megan! We can't wait for Kinney to meet our friends!!!!!!!!!

And before I close up this long post (I tried to put things in a nutshell) CONGRATULATIONS to our cousin Brooke Hammond Peccia!!!! She welcomed her 3rd child (2nd daughter) Elizabeth Joy, into the world last Thursday, April 11th! She's a beauty! We can't wait to meet her :)

                                         

Laying it all out --- My truth, my pregnancy

Laying it all out on the table.

Your first pregnancy is a fun time. From the moment I told Adam we were surprisingly expecting a wittle baby time has been flying by. But with that said it hasn’t been the bed of roses I always thought (assumed) it would be. Here is my story…the bare naked truth of my life for the past 7 ½ months…well more accurately 5 months (since she was a surprise).

My pregnancy has been a smooth one in the sense that I have NEVER been sick, at the most I experience some back pain, I am a woman on the go so I suspect that is expected. But things have happened along the way, small bumps in the road that made me (us) stop and pray with all our hearts…we had no idea how much we wanted something until it was possibly in jeopardy.

I had my very first baby doctor’s appointment Thursday, July 13^th, 2012. At this appointment they confirmed that we were indeed pregnant (almost 9 weeks at the time) and performed our first ultrasound. We were able to see her and hear her heartbeat for the first time. We left there elated! Life had thrown us a curve ball, but we were loving every second of the wonderful surprise. The following day while at work I received one of the scariest phone calls ever. It was the baby doctor calling me to tell me that they needed me to come back in as soon as possible for another ultrasound, that they had found some “sac separation” (a common cause of miscarriage in the first trimester). The nurse told me not to do anything strenuous, take things easy and that they would see me for my follow up ultrasound Monday. I calmly left my office, walked down the stairs and outside the office building and went hysterical. I called Adam sobbing…I already felt like I was failing as a mother. He (like the doctor) told me not to look up anything on the internet. The doctor had already told me “sac separation” could heal on its own and he insisted that I take things easy, to calm down and that everything would be fine. That night when Adam came home from work the first thing he did was drop to his knees, laid his hands on my stomach and started to pray. Now, I have failed to mention that all of this was going on while we were in the midst of MOVING (a stressful process and something that can be physically straining)…I received the phone call Friday and we moving that following Sunday. Adam was a beast and basically moved our entire apartment across town in to our new house, solo. The next day we went in for our ultrasound…I was on pins and needles. After the ultrasound we were left to anxiously await the doctors assessment. And praise the Lord her answer was exactly what we (I) needed to hear, she no longer saw any separation, it had healed on its own! WooHooooooo!!!!

And then two months went by. September 11^th, 2012, we were finding out if baby Hammond was going to be a he or a she. I had been waiting for this moment since I saw our first ultrasound. Like every other expecting parent we were SO EXCITED! We had successfully made it past the first trimester mark and we thought we were in for smooth sailing. The ultrasound tech (is that what they are called?) told us we were having a baby girl. I was elated and Adam was pretty proud of himself because he said from day one he thought it was a girl. They sent us back out into the waiting room to wait (everything is a waiting game) to meet with the doctor. They finally called us back to the back again. And the appointment went a little something like this: The doctor told us 90% of everything looked great. However, they did see some things that they wanted checked out further by a specialist. I was a deer in headlights, my mind was a fog…thinking, “why, how, what?” The doctor told us that she could see some holes in her heart (VSD’s) and that it looked like something may be going on with her aortas (she had some big fancy name for it, transvascular…something, something, something). I think MY own heart stopped beating. Again, I felt like my body was failing me, my baby and Adam. It was as if the doctor could read my mind and her exact words were, “There is nothing you did or could have done differently. We don’t know why things like this happen to some people and not others. Rarely are pregnancies like the movies where you spend 9 months glowing and deliver a perfect 7 lbs baby with zero bumps in the road.” She sent us BACK out into the waiting room (this was becoming the longest appointment of my life) to wait on scheduling…we had to make an appointment to see a “High Risk” doctor. Me? High risk? I went from the high of finding out we were having a baby girl to a sick feeling in my gut. How could I be high risk? I am 26 and healthy. I was also so angry (at the time) at the doctors…why couldn’t they have given us this day to celebrate finding out the gender with our family and friends and called me the following day with this gut wrenching news? Instead my pain for our child heavily outweighed the excitement of finding out if baby Hammond was a he or she.

I went back to work long enough to send our parents an email (because I could NOT talk about it without crying) keeping them in the loop and letting them know that we wanted to keep this information private for the time being. Not much longer after that email was sent I left work…I couldn’t sit in my office and pretend like I was okay. Instead I put on my game face…went to party city, ordered pink balloons, decorated our “he or she” box, and prepared to be “carefree and everything is fine” for our skype/reveal with our families and friends.

We meet our specialist on that Thursday (after the Tuesday gender appointment). When we walked into the high risk office they handed me a stack of papers to fill out. I cried the entire time I was writing. Adam asked me gently if HE needed to do it (I am sure I looked a fool), but it was scary. All the paper work was about all the possibilities and a majority of them were about downs syndrome…I just wasn’t prepared for all of this. After all the paper work was done and I underwent another ultrasound we met the high risk doctor….and this is how he introduced himself to me…he didn’t say hello or anything, he said, “I am so sorry you are here.” UGH! What was he trying to do? As if being there wasn’t scary enough??? He took us to a small room with a tiny table, four chairs and a huge box of Kleenex. He pulled out a giant binder and began with what they saw with her heart. The good news first…they could not see anything wrong with her aortas. SCORE! He did say that her heart was just the size of a dime so just to be safe he wanted me to come back in a few weeks when her heart was the size of a quarter so that they could make absolutely sure that there was nothing funky going on with her aortas but as far as he was concerned they were looking and working like they are supposed to. BUT he did find VSD’s (holes) in her heart, only 2…but that’s 2 more than anyone would like. He said one looked tiny and would probably close up on its own but the other looked much larger and would probably have to be closed up with surgery a few months after she was born. I still wasn’t thrilled with the option of surgery and Adam agreed that we didn’t need to do surgery unless it was an absolute necessity because there is no such thing as a simple HEART surgery. The risk is always there and with a heart the risk is always high. I walked out of there with mixed feelings…happy because things could have been MUCH worse but still bummed about our little girls heart. We prayed and prayed and PRAYED for our little girl!

The following week I got a phone call that my grandmother had been in the hospital and they were sending her home with HOSPICE and that the doctors said she probably wouldn’t hang on longer than a week…I was on the next plane home to be with family. I had to see my Granny and let her know that I loved her and if nothing else be there for my Mama and Pop.

A couple of weeks after that I had to check back in with my high risk doctor. I held my breath pretty much the whole time during the ultrasound and when she “zoomed” in on the heart I teared up…fearing what else they could possibly find wrong. At this pointed I HATED going to the doctors. Again, after the ultrasound the doctor took us to a tiny room. However, this time we left with tears of joy. The doctor said that her heart looked perfect. He saw NOTHING wrong with it and NO holes! They had closed on their own. Such a blessing! He told me that I did not have to come back to see him if I did not want to. He offered to see me ONE more time if I though it would put my mind at ease…I smiled and said, “Just one more time and then I promise I will leave you alone.”  God has most certainly had His hand over my pregnancy.

A month after being home to visit my Granny I got a call from my Mama saying that they had put my Aunt into HOSPICE (she, like my Granny, had been sick for a long long long time. She had liver problems.) Mama told me that the doctors had given her 3-6 months to live…2 days later I got a call from my Daddy (My Aunt Karen’s brother) that she had passed away. Back home I went….heartbroken.

Once back in Memphis I had my LAST high risk appointment and we passed with flying colors (again) so I will never (fingers crossed) again have to see that office space, ultrasound lab or doctor again! At this time I also had scheduled my gestational diabetes test with my regular baby doctor. I thought nothing of it; I thought for sure I would pass….woah nelly was I wrong. I received a phone call informing me that I failed the blood test and would need to come in for the 4 HOUR long test…I thought “shoot me now”. I had a million questions for the nurse…why me? She said it has nothing to do with what I eat (although if you do have gestational diabetes you control it with your eating habits but you don’t GET it by your eating habits, which I believe because a stick thin girl was there having the same test done as me and I can assure you she doesn’t eat cupcakes.) She said it just depends on the woman and her hormones and that stress could play a major part in triggering those hormones. I thought, oh great! This is the most stressful time at work, I am dealing with the loss of a family member, we all have that person (or people) that causes UNNECESSARY stress in our lives, figuring out how to be a mama, looking for daycare's, my Granny and then not to mention I have a family history of diabetes (that puts me at a higher risk factor right off the bat). I asked the nurse what would happen if I had gestational diabetes and she said exactly what I didn’t want to hear, “We will send you to the high risk doctor.” I thought, “Oh, hell no you won’t.” and I started speaking into being…”I DO NOT HAVE GESTATIONAL DIABETES!”

I went in that Friday for my 4 hour test (grumpy as all get out) the next morning (Saturday) around 7:30am I got a phone call from my Mama…my Granny had passed away earlier that morning, a month from the day that my aunt passed away. I told Adam that if I didn’t have gestastional diabetes, that I do now. Her passing has been hard for me…on so many different levels. It hurts me to see my mama hurt (just like it does for me to see my Daddy hurt after his sister passed) and it crushes me to see my Pop’s heart ache the way it does. I told someone at work the other day that if it were truly possible to die of a broken heart that I thought he would. It’s been an all around hard time for my family recently, lots and lots of heartache and tears. I cry at the slightest memory of her (my Granny) just yesterday Adam put out her teapot set that she had given me and when I saw it sitting in the china cabinet I started sobbing. Although I am SO happy and find some comfort in knowing that she is healthy and whole in Heaven it pains my heart to know that she will never meet Kinney. After all, she was the GREATEST grandmother to me and my sister and I just wish Kinney could have had the opportunity to know her like we did. But on the same hand I know she’ll have a front row seat when Kinney is born and be an angel on her side always.

The next week I got the phone call with the test results…NO gestastional diabetes for me!!! YAY!

I hate to see my body getting “fat” but that just lets me know that she is GROWING like she should. Sometimes her kicks and punches make me uncomfortable but that just lets me know that she’s kicking around happy and healthy and then I smile…sometimes maybe I cry (tears of joy). During this pregnancy I have had a lot of heartache and tears…so I am CERTAIN Kinney will have the sweetest and softest heart of anyone I know.

This is just my story and it is mild compared to what other women go through. I think often of women that go through things that I never even realized were possibilities. I never knew how high the risk of miscarriage (even after the first trimester) was until it became somewhat of a possibility for me. I never had any sickness associated with my pregnancy, high blood pressure or even the possibility of bed rest (knocking on wood as I type this). I never really thought about how STRONG women are until I became pregnant. Pregnancy is an emotional rollercoaster…THAT. IS. FOR. SURE! And from what I understand the constant worrying about your child and if they are “ok” never stops.

We had our 3D/4D ultrasound last Friday and girlfriend is sitting pretty. She’s looking healthy and she’s head down (like she is supposed to be). We only have 9 weeks left before she will be gracing the world with her presence (hopefully no sooner or later). This past weekend my father in law came up to help put her nursery together…which I am thrilled with, I just go and sit in her room and think about the future. 

It's crazy how much ultrasounds have changed! This is Kinney last Friday. The ultrasound below is the only one my parents have of me in 1986

And speaking of the future I want to close this blog with a BIG CONGRATULATIONS!!! Our dear friends Brian & Deana Mathes announced this weekend that they are expecting a wee one this June!!!! I am SO EXCITED FOR THEM!!!! I hear June 26^th is a GREAT day to have a baby…just saying ;)

Cribs, cribs, cribs...I swear I am not crazy, just pregnant

I tell you what...I may be the MOST indecisive person EVER. 99% of the time I know what I DON'T like but when it comes to finding what I DO like, my head spins with a million options and I just can't pinpoint exactly what I want. Does that make sense? If you show me something that I think is ugly...and I know without a doubt that it is ugly I can tell you in a heartbeat. But other than that...it's all up in the air.

With all that said there is only one thing left to say...poor Adam.

When I found crib bedding that I liked Adam automatically said, ORDER IT. He knew I would drive myself crazy looking, re-looking, double checking and going into every store making sure that it was the one that I liked the best. Not that I am looking for the most spectacular thing out there...I just didn't/don't want a lot a pink...and let's face it, MOST baby girl things are pink, pink, pink. I want girly and feminine...just not pink.

This past weekend my parents took Adam and me to Atlanta to pick out our crib, as their big gift to us...(little did they know (or us) that they would be picking up the tab on the glider too!). You would think finding a bed would be simple, I sure did. But after looking at dark woods, white, off white, wide rails, thin rails, curved backs, straight backs, sleigh bed style, one's that go all the way to the floor, one's that turn in to toddler beds, crib and changer combos...I was throwing my hands up in the air, as if to surrender and say, they all serve the same purpose, a place to sleep, I don't care. It didn't take too long before tears of confusion (I thought I knew what I wanted) and frustration started rolling down my cheeks. Now, before you get too carried away with your imagination, I was not hysterical...just frustrated and feeling slightly crazy. My parents weren't surprised...they know I've been this way my whole life. Everyone banned together to coax me out of my delirium of baby beds. But poor, sweet, sweet Adam...he tried so hard the rest of the day to comfort me and put my mind at ease. However, him acting as the "gender police" (everythingggggggggg has to work for a girl as WELL as a boy...for future purposes) didn't put me at ease, but after my mini cry-baby session he backed off (slightly).

Eventually, we picked out a crib (and glider that I am SO stoked about) enjoyed a nice lunch in ATL complete with some baby clothes shopping. But even after all of that, I have changed my mind one LAST time about the crib...which will be news to my parents, I PROMISE Mama and Daddy this will be the last time!!! My mind is made up and set in stone (Adam has laid the law down, haha).

So, I write all of this to say...it's time to start looking at paint choices for the nursery. Say a little prayer for Adam, he may need it dealing with me :)

As a side note...we are officially 6 months along! Here is the most recent "baby bump" picture taken last weekend.

Notice the lady in the portrait behind me. That's Mrs. Reba Kinney Hammond, Adam's grandmother that our Kinney is named after.

Our Girl: {Kinney Lessie Hammond}

It has almost been 6 months since I have last blogged. Not much had been going on in our world until Monday, July 9^th. That was the day that set our lives on a different path than we had planned. That was the day that I discovered there would be a Baby Hammond on his or her way. The second (and it was a quick second) that the blue line showed up on my pregnancy test I thought, “OMG I am not ready for this. I don’t know if Adam is ready for this.” I am not embarrassed to say that our little buddle of joy was not planned. In fact we frequently talked about how we couldn’t believe that friends our age were actually PLANNING on having children. NOT that there is ANYTHING wrong with that…we just felt like we had a few more good miles left in us before we started warming bottles and changing diapers. We knew that wanted kids (eventually) but the unspoken plan was that we wanted to wait until we were closer to home. But you know the quote “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”….well, needless to say, God got the last laugh.

By the time that I had figured out what was going on with my body our baby had been hanging out for 9 weeks. Adam and I joke about it now…but I can see HOW people do not know they are pregnant. Even now at almost 5 ½ months I am not HUGE and the babys “flutters” (movements) could easily be mistaken for other bodily functions. Now, check back with me at 7-9 months and I am sure that the above statements will be null and void!

I have NOT had morning sickness one time. And I always thought of that as a MAJOR sign of pregnancy. I had no cravings. I was tired but I have a job that I work hard at every single day so I contributed that to my fatigue. And I drink A LOT of water so I associated that as to why I was constantly making the walk from my office down the hall to the restroom. The only thing I REALLY suffered from were massive headaches…I never get headaches…but again I just thought that had to do with working.

Now, on to the Daddy to be. HE IS SO EXCITED!!! At first when I broke the news to him he thought I was pulling his leg…but the minute that I burst in to tears and showed him the “evidence” he knew I was serious. And he never hesitated and he never questioned if we were ready. He knew God had a plan for us that our baby was MEANT to be! He held me in his arms and the FIRST thing he said to me was… “It’s a girl. I just know it is.” The very next day Adam came home with Baby Hammond’s fist toy, a stuffed bunny. People tell me that I glow but he beams! He beams with pride and excitement. It's crazy HOW in love with her he is already. He told me one night, "I can't believe how much I love someone that I have never met." I know he is going to be the most precious and dedicated Daddy! After all he is an amazing husband and best friend.

September 11^th is when we found out if Baby Hammond was going to be a “He or She”. And let’s be totally honest every daddy wants that boy and every mommy wants that girl. I DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU SAY…you will not convince me any other way. Of course you want the baby to be healthy, but beyond that you know you want that baseball player or cheerleader. We tried all the old wives tales, Chinese gender chart, rings on a string, tracking my cravings (sweet vs salty), etc…you name it we probably tried it or looked it up. But nothing pointed one way…one thing would suggest a girl and then the next would suggest a boy. But that morning we found out that Baby Hammond would be spoiled with ruffles, bows, sparkles and pearls our baby is a girl!

 We had picked out names for both genders and no I will not tell you what we were going to name our girl if she had been a boy. Here is something I have learned about names…EVERYONE has an opinion…good or bad. And to be honest we didn’t want people’s opinions, we wanted what we wanted. As you may know (if you are mine or Adam’s facebook friend, friend or family member) her name is Kinney. I KNEW before we were having a baby that I wanted to follow the southern tradition of naming your baby a grandmother’s maiden name. I ran the idea by Adam and he was a fan of the idea from the beginning. In fact if you have ever heard the song “Where I’m From,” by Jason Michael Carroll, he says, “Where moms and dads were high school flames, Gave their children grandmothers maiden name, Yes it may not sound like much but its where I'm from”. Her full name (as I am sure you have guessed from the title of this blog) is Kinney Lessie Hammond. Kinney, is Adam’s grandmothers maiden name from his dad’s side of the family and Lessie comes from my grandmother on my mom’s side. Both of these women played significant roles in shaping our childhoods and making us the adults that we are today. She (Kinney) has quite a legacy behind her name and it makes me smile just thinking about how proud they (our grandmothers) would be. Now that she has a full name…let the monogramming begin!!!!

Kinney has no idea what she is in store for. She is already soooooooooo loved by so many! In fact it blows my mind how loved she is. My parents are so excited that they have a closet FULL of things for her at their house. Kinney receives weekly packages from friends and families (she’s one popular little lady). And that really helps with the distance…because I am not going to lie…being 8 hours away from family and friends it’s easy to feel forgotten…even though we know we never are.

I am 23 weeks and feel like time is slipping away from us ESPECIALLY since we missed the first 9 weeks. Now, we’re moving on to nursery items, daycare, diapers, and motherly worries…that I have read are normal. Before we know it February will be here!!!!

What I Wore Wednesday/Thursday

So, I know it's not WIWW anymore...I guess it would be more like "What I Wore Thursday," but alas I forgot to publish my post yesterday. Heck, I am even surprised I remembered at all...it's been awhile since I've kept up with my WIWW posts...

Wednesday 4/11

Red Top- Marshall's

Turquoise Necklace- J. Crew

White Capri Pants- TJ Maxx

Nude Wedges- JC Penney ($6 end of year sale)

Thursday 4/12 (not loving this)

3/4 length top- Old Navy

Navy Pants- GAP

Necklace- Charming Charlie's 

Flats with bow- Target

Even though I don't love this look...I DID wear my hair in a topsy tail, haha

Friday 4/13

 {home and meeting baby Hannah}

Dress- Old Navy

Boots- The Boot Store

Saturday 4/14 

{Bridesmaids Brunch, Nanny's bday lunch and Chase and Victoria's Wedding}

Bridesmaids Brunch/Nanny's Lunch

Dress- Mac & Jac

Nude Wedges- JC Penney ($6) and they are SO COMFY

Wedding

Pink Dress- TJ Maxx

Turquoise Necklace- J. Crew

Nude Pumps- RackRoom 

Sunday 4/14 {Braves Game}

Red Dress- Forever21

Initials Necklace- Valentines gift from sweet Adam

Monday 4/16 {leaving home behind}

Neon stripe top- Old Navy

White Shorts- Old Navy

Flats with bow- Target

Wednesday 4/18 

Black sleeveless goes with everything dress- Macy's

Purple Cardigan- NY&Co.

Gold Necklace- Kohl's...it was on SUPER sale!I think I paid $3 for it and it goes with SO much 

Nude Pumps- RackRoom

10 Day Challenge {6 Places}

6 Places

1. Memphis, TN --- our new home

and we couldn't be happier :) {minus the distance from #2}

2. Home {home}--- Oconee County/Athens, GA

Less than 9 miles from my front door (well, my parents front door) you could be walking on the campus of UGA or bar hopping/shopping downtown. I love where I am from!

3. Savannah, GA

The place where Adam asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. 

4. Nashville, TN

I. LOVE. THIS. PLACE.

If you love country music and (especially if you love) dancing...this city is a MUST!

5. Charleston, SC

Much like Savannah, GA, with jaw dropping beauty. I LOVE places with deep history and rich culture (hence why I love Savannah AND even Memphis SO MUCH!)

6. A Beach....Any Beach