1 Month Old!!!

Sayler Jaye...you are one month old!!! (Actually you are 6 weeks old today...Mommy was just a huge slacker and didn't get this post drafted until 2 weeks after the fact.) I can't believe it has already been 6 weeks...you are changing so much every day right before our eyes and I just want to push pause and take a few more moments to soak it all in. Here is what you have been up to:

• You wear a size 1 diaper...but you could still fit in the newborn size too. We just don't have any more as people told us not to buy to many of those b/c you wouldn't be wearing them for very long.


• You still wear all newborn clothes but there are some things that will probably not get any more wears out of you because you have grown out of them...I don't know why but that makes Mommy sad :( Guess I better suck it up and get used to it huh?


• You are a GREAT sleeper and take several long naps throughout the day and sleep 3-4 hour stretches through the night. You have done that since you came home from the hospital and Mommy is so grateful that you are such a trooper when it comes to catching some zzz's. Mommy gets up with you in the night since she gets to stay home with you all day and Daddy has to get up early to go to work. Even though Mommy gets a lot less sleep she gets SO much love during those late nights with you...I will actually miss getting up with you when you start sleeping through night. Crazy huh?
• We have you on Enfamil AR formula. It has helped so much with your reflux and spitting up. The Dr. diagnosed you with reflux about 3 weeks ago and it has been so hard to see you struggle with it. After you eat you just arch your back and kick your legs out and let out the most painful cries. Mommy has cried too just watching you be in pain. Dr. Paruolo prescribed Prevacid solutabs for you and they were working terrific for the firs 3 weeks and then in the last couple of days you have been struggling again. Mommy gave you 3 doses instead of 2 and added some Gripe Water to your bottle and it seems to have helped a lot and I am so thankful.
• We call you the following names: SaySay, Toots Magoots, Big Woman, Little Mama, Birdie, Mama's Big One, Lover, Pumpkin, Say Jaye.
• You took your very first trip to Nebraska to spend Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa in Omaha. You were an ANGEL for the entire trip...both ways. The drive was about 13 hours one way and for the trip up and back you slept almost the entire way and hardly fussed at all. Mommy and Daddy were so proud of you and couldn't believe what a good little traveler you were. Grandma loved on you the entire time we were there and I am sure is missing you like crazy. She and Grandpa got you a doll baby, a tea set and elf on a shelf for Christmas. We are so excited to play with all of them when you get older.
• You have started to smile a bit when Mommy or Daddy talks to you and when I tell you it melts our hearts...I mean melts them. We can't wait for you to start cooing and smiling more and more.
• You love tummy time with Daddy and will lay on your tummy on a pillow on his lap while he jiggles his leg and fall fast asleep.
• You HATE taking a bath...it makes you madder than a hornet. You never scream louder than when we are giving you a bath and then putting lotion on you afterwards. I know you will start to like it soon enough but Daddy and I will dread bath night until then :)
• We tried to take a walk with you in the stroller on a nice day...it lasted about 15 seconds. Let's just say you were not a fan and we promptly turned around and went back inside. Hopefully you will love walking with us very soon as we can't wait to take you out and about.
• You are SO strong. At your 2 week Dr. appointment the Dr. made the comment that you were really strong and that you could hold up your head so well for being so young. You hold your head up for long stretches and look around the room. Mostly you look at the ceiling fan...Daddy and I think you have a crush on the fan as you will stare at it for 20-30 minutes and smile and flirt with the fan. You heart the fan and we get jealous watching you pay so much attention to it!!!
• You are the light of our lives and we cannot imagine living one day without you. We love you Baby Girl!!! Can't wait to see what you are up to next month!!!

Love,

Mama

I thought I knew...but I had no idea.

Sayler Jaye Doss...you were born on November 19, 2009 at 8:42 pm. You weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and were 20 inches long. You had a full head of black hair and were the most precious baby your Mommy and Daddy could have ever dreamed of. How could we have ever imagined a love like this? Both Daddy and I ask God every night how we could be so lucky to be the recipients of God's most perfect creation. You are the best thing to ever happen to us...we love you more than words can express.

Here are some pictures of your birthday and your first days at home.

Mommy posing with you still in her belly the morning we left for the hospital.

Mommy all checked in at the hospital.

Mommy and Daddy waiting for your arrival...I think I had the epidural at this point :)

After 13.5 hours of active labor you arrived!!! Mommy was so relieved to hear your loud cries.

Here you are letting everyone know that you mean business!!!

The Dr.'s checked you over and told us what we already knew...you were perfect.

Here is Dr. Livingston. He delivered you into the world and we love him for it!!!

Daddy went and spied on the nursery staff to make sure they were taking care of you and took this picture. He was protective of you from the very start.

Here you are in the hospital the morning after you were born...sleeping like an angel.

Mommy and Daddy took you home on November 21st...you wore the sweater and bonnet that Mommy wore during her baptism when she was a baby. You looked so cute!!!

Fired Up...Ready To Go!!!

This is one of your most favorite places on earth...laying on Daddy's chest always puts you right to sleep.

Grandma and Grandpa got there on that same afternoon and this is a picture of the first time Grandma held you in her arms. She is head over heels in LOVE with you and was a great big help to Mommy and Daddy for the first 2 weeks you were home.

Daddy rocking you. You were so alert for the first time!!!

Mommy's precious little woman. How cute are you???

Lying on the changing table after your first sponge bath...you are not a fan of the bath, or having your diaper changed, or getting dressed. Basically anything that causes you to be cold makes you madder than a hornet!!!

Mommy and Grandma took you to your first Dr.'s appointment on Tuesday, December 1st. They said you had a touch of jaundice but it wasn't serious. They had to take a blood draw from your heel and it broke Mommy's heart to see you so upset. Everything else was perfect and you are a happy and healthy baby!!!

The Dr. said in order to get rid of the jaundice we needed to put you in the direct sunlight as much as possible. Grandma called this your "sun therapy" and here you are sunning yourself on her lap.

Look at my precious girl...I could just eat you up and I never get tired of looking at that face.

Again...your most favorite place on earth.

Our little razorback!!! That bow is bigger than your little peanut head!!!

Grandma took this picture of you on our bed and Grandma, Grandpa and Daddy all saved it as their screen saver. I think it is a pretty adorable picture of a pretty adorable baby.

Mommy found this photographer (Miss Amy) over a year prior to you being born. I knew that I wanted her to take your newborn pictures. So off we went on December 2nd to have your pictures taken...and guess what??? It snowed that morning!!! Can you believe it...snow in TX!!! You were SO good for the entire shoot and the pictures turned out AMAZING!!! But how could they be anything other than amazing with such a beautiful model? This picture took some time to get set up. Daddy is actually holding this basket up off the table while Miss Amy shoots the pictures. His arm was getting tired...but he toughed it out an we got a pretty fantabulous picture of you!!!

How precious is this shot of you resting on Daddy's arm? About 5 minutes later you peed all over his arm and the floor :) Oh well...

Mommy loves this one of you with those cheeks!!!

And this picture brought tears to my eyes the first time I saw it. You look like an angel here...and you truly are Mommy's angel.

I love the little folds you have around your belly here...you are just delicious!!!

So what are you up to during these first few weeks? Well...you eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. And you take between 2 to 4 ounces depending on your mood :) Mommy is breastfeeding you and also supplementing with formula to make sure you are getting enough to eat. We took you to your 2 week well visit on December 4th and you weighed 8.75 lbs. and were 21.5 inches long. You gained almost a pound and grew an inch and a half!!! Mommy was happy and sad at the same time...as she wants you to stop growing so fast!!!

You are a good sleeper but Mommy thinks you might have your days and nights mixed up a little bit, as you sleep a lot deeper and for longer stretches during the day and lighter/shorter at night. But that is OK...Mommy cherishes those nighttime feedings as we get to share some good old Mommy/daughter bonding time.

You LOVE to go out in the car and have gone out on 2 lunch dates already. One with Mommy and Grandma to Corner Bakery, and the other with Mommy, Daddy and Grandma to Applebee's. You were so good and did not make a peep during either lunch.

We are learning more and more about you every single minute and just love you to pieces Little Miss!!! We are looking forward to our trip to Omaha for Christmas on the 22nd to show you off. Everyone keeps telling us how beautiful you are. They have no idea exactly how beautiful until they see you in person.

I will love you forever Sayler Jaye,

Mommy

The home stretch...mark

OK baby girl...we're almost there. 5 more weeks and both of our worlds are going to be turned upside down (yours will literally be turned upside down as you are chillin' head down right now!!!). Here are some things that have been going on for the last few weeks:

1. We had 3 baby showers for you!!! Yes 3!!! You got so many great things and we think we have most of what you are going to need for your big arrival. You are so blessed to have such generous friends and family already.

2. I think you doubled in size over night!!! You are getting so big and making your presence know at all times. You are a very active little girl and are kicking me constantly with a lot of vigor!!! You also move around a lot and Daddy thinks it is so funny to watch you move around in my stomach (yes you can see all of your wiggling from the outside). Daddy loves to put his hand on my stomach throughout the night and feel you move...you amaze him on a regular basis.

3. You weigh about 5 - 5.5 lbs. Mommy thinks you are going to be about an 8 lb. baby when you are born. The Dr. says you are in the 60th percentile which is good. Not to little and not to big. Mommy is still hoping that you will be born on or around the 18th as Dr. Livingston said he will induce my labor up to a week before if I am dilated at least 1 cm. Mommy DOES NOT want to be in the hospital on Thanksgiving as Grandma will be here cooking up a storm and trust me baby girl...we DO NOT want to miss out on those yummies!!! But nothing is more important than you so whenever it is safe for you to come out and meet us...then that is when it will happen. We are just so excited for you to get here!!!

4. Daddy is leaving tomorrow for his big celebration in Las Vegas with 2 of his friends. Daddy is turning 30 on Friday and he is ringing in this milestone in a big way. I think he is going to have a lot of fun...but Daddy is a little bit worried about leaving "his girls" for 4 days. I keep trying to assure him that we are going to be OK...but I anticipate a lot of phone calls and texts while he is gone. We love that though don't we? He is such a good husband and Daddy to us.

Mommy can't even express how excited she is for you to get here. My heart is SO FULL of love for you and I can't wait to see your little face, and your little toes, and find out if you have a full head of hair (Mommy was bald) and just look at how precious and beautiful you are. You are the miracle of our lives baby girl and we are just so proud to be your parents.

See you soon Little Miss,

Mommy

Isn't she lovely...isn't she wonderful???

Dear Sayler Jaye-

Mommy just wanted to show you what you have been up to the last few weeks. You have been growing and growing!!! Even though you still can't really tell from looking at Mommy's belly...lot's of people still say they can't tell I am pregnant and I am 7 months along. I wouldn't go that far, but I do have to say that I am not nearly as big as I always thought I would be. We still have 2+ months to go so maybe I will be eating my words in this last trimester. We went to the Dr. last Tuesday and got to see you with a 4D scan. Baby girl can I just tell you again how in love we are with you??? You are so beautiful and precious to us and seeing your sweet face and your little foot and toes and fingers was just the most miraculous and amazing gift. Here are some of the pictures we took of you that day:

I think you were irritated at this point hence the finger gesture :)

Here is your little foot. Mommy was just enamored with that little pig!!!

Here is your sweet face. You were sucking and showing off the whole time :)

We can't decide who you look like yet...but you sure are cute!!!

Here's Mommy and you at 26+ weeks...not sure how people can't tell you're a stowaway in there.

Mommy and Daddy have been very busy getting your room ready for you too. Here are some pictures of all that has been going on at our house getting ready to bring you home:

Here is your dresser with both your Husker and Hog onesies ready for you to wear on game day!

Mommy is very proud of your dresser as I hand painted the flowers on it. The pink pitcher and basin on top were your Great Grandma Marion's and Mommy kept those hoping that someday she would have a little girl and I would get to put them in her nursery...and now I do...you!!!

We had your name monogrammed on your crib bumper and I LOVE IT!!!

We had your bedding custom made and Daddy and I think it is perfect for you.

Here is where you will be sleeping (hopefully through the night) very soon!!!

We have a very busy couple of weeks ahead of us. We are going to Little Rock to visit this weekend and your Aunts are having a baby shower for you on Sunday the 13th. Then the following week we are going to meet your pediatrician to ask him all of the questions we have about how to take care of you and make sure you are healthy. Then we leave for Kansas City for a baby shower Mommy's friend Shelly is having for you. Then the next day we are going to ANOTHER baby shower for you in Lincoln that Mommy's Aunt Vonnie and cousins Jenny and Chris are throwing for you. Whew!!! You are a popular little girl my love...there are just so many people that are so excited for you to get here so they can love on you and spoil you rotten. Daddy and I are the most excited of everyone though...we talk to you and sing to you and Daddy kisses Mommy's belly every single day. We can't wait to be able to kiss your sweet face!!!

OK better wrap it up now baby girl. I will post more pictures of all of your presents after we get back from Baby Shower-palooza!!!

Love you to the moon,
Mommy

Swing Low...Sweet Baby Girl

Sayler Jaye-

You are 23 weeks today...growing and changing every day. They say you are the size of a papaya and that your beautiful little face has fully formed except for all of the chub that will inevitably round out your cheeks!!! Mommy and Daddy went to see Dr. Livingston this morning to check and see how you are growing in there. The medical student working alongside Dr. Livingston put the hand held doppler on mommy's belly way up over my belly button...mommy started to giggle and said, "Oh no...she is not up there...she likes to hang out way down here." Then mommy showed her where you like to snuggle in about 2-3 inches below my belly button and sure enough there was your heartbeat ticking away!!! Mommy is carrying you SO LOW that when I sit down you are sitting right where my body bends...and you do not like it one bit. You just kick and squirm until I move my position.

Speaking of the kicking Daddy and I had quite an experience with you last night. You were kicking and kicking me...nothing would settle you down. So Daddy suggested we take a short walk to see if you would settle down a little. It was about 8:45 pm and dark already...but we decided to go on a short walk around the neighborhood. Mommy just had flip flops on and we were about 10 minutes away from our house when it started POURING down rain!!! Baby girl we were drenched from head to toe. Mommy and Daddy were laughing so hard as we were trying to get back to the house...mommy had to take off her flip flops so she didn't slip and fall, and her mascara was running down here face and she looked like a raccoon running down the street in the rain!!! Daddy and I said we would remember that night forever and laugh about it for years and years. You are already giving us so many memories sweet girl.

Your room is coming together and is so cute. Mommy is almost finished painting the flowers on your dresser and your crib set should be delivered soon. We can't wait for it to be already for you in November. Dr. Livingston said today that if Mommy is progressing he would not be opposed to inducing me up to a week before your due date (November 25th). So that would make Mommy very happy...as we would not be stuck in the hospital for Thanksgiving!!! And I could bring my own little turkey home to her house!!!

Well that is it for this week Little Miss...we love you to the moon!!!

Love,

Mommy

I am a sucky blogger!!!

OK I am just gonna admit it...I SUCK!!! I really thought I would be better at this but I have not lived up to that expectation at all!!! So I am turning over a new leaf and am going to update my blog weekly. If nothing more than to keep a record of my pregnancy so I can look back and see what that little jumping bean was doing in her own personal bounce house my womb!!!

So here I am at 18 weeks (about 3 weeks ago):

So here is what you have been doing for the last few weeks Miss Priss:

• On June 30th we went to our ultrasound and the radiologist told us you were a GIRL!!! Mommy was so shocked and got tears in her eyes. I could not believe God had blessed me with a little girl of my own. I am still on cloud nine thinking about all of the fun we will have together. Daddy was SO happy and he thought you were a girl from the start...we both hugged and cried once the Dr. left the room. From that moment we knew our lives would never be the same...and your Daddy knew he was outnumbered!!!
• We gave you a name. At first we were going to keep your name a secret...but Aunt Michelle had already figured it out as we had told her last summer the names we liked for a girl and a boy...and wouldn't you know she remembered. So we decided to share your name with special family and friends. Your name is: Sayler Jaye Doss. I have liked the name Sayler since I read somewhere that Christy Brinkley's daughter was named Sailor. I just wasn't thrilled with the spelling so I switched it up a bit...both Daddy and I LOVE your name. Jaye is your middle name and it is precious to me. Mommy has a best friend that has been my best friend since I was a little girl. Her name is Johna Jaye...and God took her to heaven nearly 3 years ago. Mommy misses her SO much and wanted to give you a little piece of her...and hopefully some of her spunk (I may regret that statement in a few years :) I told Johna's Mom and sister Jess about your special middle name and they were thrilled. Everyone is just SO excited to meet you and see your sweet face.
• Kicking, kicking, kicking!!! I think you are going to be the next Shawn Johnson and bring home gold in gymnastics!!! Either that or a Rockette... Ha!!! Ever since about 16 weeks or so I have been feeling you kick...but I really didn't know in the beginning if it was you or just my wishful thinking. It would happen every few days and wasn't really very consistent. But ever since the Dr. told us you were a girl you have been kicking up a storm!!! Some days I swear you are trying to kick yourself out of there. You are the most active between noon and 4, and then in the evenings until about 9pm. Last Friday, I was laying on the couch and had my hand on my belly. You kicked so hard that I felt it from the inside and the outside. I sent Daddy a text and he was SO excited. Now he tries to feel your kicks too...but you decide not to perform whenever he puts his hand on Mommy's belly (this causes Mommy some concern as well...hoping these protests will not become regular occurrences when "you're on the outside" which is what Daddy says. I tell him that is what you say about prisoners that are released...but you can't tell him anything).

• You are already being spoiled. Mommy and Daddy bought your crib and nursery furniture last weekend and have put two pieces together. Hopefully the dresser will get put together without Mommy and Daddy wringing each others' necks...we did GREAT on the changing table and crib. We have also bought you so many cute outfits for next summer. All of the "summa clothes" are on sale right now and we are scooping them up. Grandma also bought you a diaper Genie and some sweet outfits. Aunt Vonnie had 2 outfits waiting for you too...one was a cute duckie outfit that I can't wait to get you in. Grandma's good friend Jody Dworak made you the sweetest baby sling and diaper bag. The diaper bag had all of the pockets embroidered with their own label (diapers, wipes, ointments, extra outfits, etc.). It is the cutest thing ever!!! I just LOVE it!!! I also got to bring home some precious keepsakes that I asked for after your Great Grandma Marion passed away over 12 years ago. I knew someday I would have a baby girl...and I wanted to put these things in her nursery. I spent many hours of my childhood staring at the picture and basin set that my Grandma had in her home...and I wanted you to spend your childhood looking at them too.
  Here are some pictures to show you how we are preparing for your arrival:

So the bottom line baby girl is that we are counting down the days until we get to see your sweet face. Your Daddy and I are SO in love with you!!!