First Visit to the Church Nursery

Our pediatrician advised us to keep Hayes home from church until he was twelve weeks old.  We decided that eleven and a half weeks was close enough and made our foray into the church nursery.  Trent and I had checked it out the week before to figure out the check-in process and make sure it seemed like an okay place to leave Hayes. 

Here are Hayes and Daddy dressed and ready for church.

Check in went smoothly and we headed off to big church.  I wasn't nervous at all because all of the nursery workers seemed so competent.  That quickly changed when we went to pick up Hayes.  He wasn't in the room where we left him, and the teachers didn't know who he was or where he was.  They finally figured out that someone had taken him out to walk around because he was being fussy, but they didn't seem really sure who that someone was.  Let's just say that Trent and I were pretty scared.  We did find him, but he didn't have his nametag on, so there was no way for them to really know who he was or who his parents were.  We were so relieved to find him that we just took him and left.  After we had a chance to discuss the situation later that afternoon, we decided that I should call the nursery coordinator and let her know about the situation.

I called a few days later and spoke with her.  Apparently, the policy is that after a child has been crying for five minutes, a worker will take the baby out to walk around.  There are rules about where they can go, but my viewpoint is that a rule doesn't actually stop someone from doing something - like taking the baby outside or into a room by themselves!   The nursery workers did not explain this when we dropped Hayes off; they just told us that they would call us if he cried for more than ten minutes.  I did not want to seem like a crazy mom, but I explained to the lady what Trent does for a living and how that makes us more paranoid than normal parents.  But, I have told all of our friends about this so that they would be aware when they start taking their babies to the nursery, and all of them have had the same reaction we did.  At any rate, the nursery workers now have explicit instructions that Hayes is not to be removed from the room where we leave him.  Luckily, we, and Hayes, survived the experience and we hope that he learns to love his class at church!

Buddies

Hayes has had his first play date.  We took dinner to our friends James, Kristi, and Grayson, and our other friends Scott, Ashley, and Parker decided to come too.  It turned into a party!  Hayes was 10 weeks old, Parker was 4 weeks old, and Grayson was 2 weeks old.  The boys didn't really take much notice of each other, but it was fun to get together and visit.  I am sure we will be wishing for such peaceful play dates in a few years when we have three wild banshees boys running around!

My hope (and prayer!) is that these three boys will be great friends as they grow up and will be good influences on each other.  And us mommies will have much more fun spying on them together than we would on our own!

The Big Two Months

So, I'm a bad mom and I didn't have it together for Hayes' one month birthday.  I wanted to take a picture of him in the same spot every month, but we missed month one and will just have to start with month two.

At two months, Hayes is:

Still eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day
Eating every 4 to 5 hours at night (yay for longer stretches of sleep for Mommy!)
Starting to nap on a little more of a schedule, but still only in his swing or in the car - he is pretty much ready for a nap after he has been awake for an hour
Starting to play and interact more - he is very happy in the mornings and will lay in bed with me and just kick, smile, and coo at me

Hayes' new tricks are:

Blowing spit bubbles - he can do some pretty impressive work here!
Sucking on his hand
Rubbing his eyes when he is sleepy

He has also found his tongue.  He likes to stick it out!

Hayes still likes his swing and to go places quite a bit.  He also still likes loud music when we are in the car or when he is swinging.  He does not like his bouncy seat at all (and hasn't for quite a while),

First Shots

Hayes had his two month check-up and passed with flying colors.  He weighed in at 11 pounds, 3 ounces , which is between the 25th and 50th percentile, and was 22 1/2 inches long, which is the 25th percentile. 

While we were there, Hayes spit up like I have never seen him do before.  He normally might spit up a little bit here and there, but this was just massive and he did it three times I think.  We went through a blanket and two burp cloths just to clean him up.  The doctor decided that he might have a touch of reflux because of the spitting up and because he seemed uncomfortable and was fussy after he did the big spit up.  She and I were both glad that he did it while we were in there because I thought his fussiness was just normal and hadn't brought it up with her.  She prescribed Zantac for him, so we hope it helps him out.

He got his first shots, which just about broke this mama's heart.  However, he settled down pretty quickly, and he slept hard all day, all night, and most of the next day.  When he did wake up to eat, he was not a very happy camper.  Although he didn't have any fever and didn't seem to feel all that sore, when he was awake, he just made this constant low-level whining noise.  And pitched a couple of big fits, one of which I captured in the photo above.  I felt so sad for him!

Grayson Pelham Farmer

My friend Kristi gave birth to a beautiful baby boy (who was expected to be a boy!) on February 4.  Grayson was born at 12:17 pm - way to go Kristi on the short labor! - and weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces.  He had tons of hair, his daddy's nose, and his mama's mouth!  He is just precious! 

We are so excited that Grayson is here and I can't wait for these two boys to get big enough to be buddies!

Haircut Trauma

By the time he was five weeks old, Hayes was growing a little rat tail.  I was going in to get my hair done, so I asked his Aunt Kay-Kay if she would give him a little trim to even things up.  We didn't want him looking all ratty, you know!

Sitting up like a big boy waiting for his haircut

He started getting squirmy and Kayla was so scared she would cut him, so I had to hold his head against my shoulder.  At that point, Hayes decided that he really did not like the haircut experience.  And the entire beauty shop knew it!

Bottom line - we were successful in getting rid of the rat tail, no one was injured in the process, and Hayes recovered pretty quickly once he got to eat! 

One Month

At one month, Hayes was:

Eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day and every 3 to 4 hours during the night
Still sleeping a lot during the day, but only in his swing or in the car or while being held
Sleeping in his big boy crib at night

And had:

Started cooing and squealing
Smiled at Mommy (on a day that was very bad otherwise - his cute smile redeemed his lack of sleep that week!)

Hayes' favorite place to hang out was his swing.  He liked for Mommy and Daddy to play loud praise and worship music while he was in his swing.  He also liked to be held (a lot!) and go places in the car.

Woo Pig Sooie

The Razorbacks went to the Liberty Bowl this year and Hayes got all dressed up in his Razorback gear for the big game.  Thanks Will for his cute shirt!

Practicing his hog call!

New Year's Eve . . .

is just not the same with a baby!  We definitely did not make it to midnight this year!

For New Year's Eve, our friends Erin and Dennis threw a party.  Erin made a yummy taco bar, and there were so many fun people there.  Hayes came with us and slept through most of the party.  He did get to meet my friend Holland, and she was so sweet to love on him.

We had such a fun time and were happy to get out for a little bit.  Thanks Erin and Dennis for hosting!

Day of Firsts

When he was 8 days old, Hayes had a big day.  First he went to see Dr. Mahan at Northwest Arkansas Pediatric Clinic for a one week check-up.  He got a clean bill of health and behaved himself very well while Dr. Mahan looked him over.

 When we got home, he spent some time on his tummy.  Although he looks pretty content in this picture, he has since decided that he hates tummy time. 

Lastly, the mailman brought a surprise for Hayes - his first package in the mail!  It was from his great-aunt Theresa in Dallas.  He was so excited!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was extra special because it was also Hayes' first snow day!  When I got up to feed him in the night, it had started snowing and by morning, there was quite a bit on the grass and the streets were pretty well covered too. 

We headed over to my parents' house to open presents with them and my sister.  When we got there, we took a quick trip outside to get some pictures of Hayes with the snow.  He was not all that impressed, but soon, he will love the snow!

Hayes got tons of presents for such a little boy!

 

Hayes with Aunt Jen in his Christmas jammies

 

We ate a yummy breakfast of sausage-cheese breakfast casserole Williams-Sonoma croissants and waited to hear whether our grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins were going to be able to make it up the mountain from Russellville.  Around noon, we got word that the roads were too bad and that we would be on our own for the rest of the day.  Unfortunately, they had all of the desserts, so we were dessert-less at lunchtime.  I think they had the worse end of the deal; they were stuck with just sweets and no real meal.  

The biggest news of the day was that Hayes lost his umbilical cord.  It was a Christmas miracle!  I thought that thing was never going to fall off! 

All in all, it was a nice quiet day with lots of help for this new mommy!  I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift!

Christmas Eve

We spend Christmas Eve in Fort Smith with Trent's family.  Usually we spend the night before down there, but this year, we loaded up and headed down the hill early on Christmas Eve instead.  With the new little man, it was just too much to pack up for a night away.  Hayes got lots of presents and everyone got to love on him.

 With Aunt Meagan

With Daddy

This was Hayes' present to Trent.  It was his favorite present.  Uncle Jarrett and Boppo liked it too!  Hayes comes from a long line of Kappa Sig men, and when I saw this shirt at Bella Jack's, I had to get it.  I hadn't been able to get Hayes any cute special clothes yet - just stuff from Old Navy and Baby Gap - and I thought we would start him early with the fraternity attire!

With Nana

I didn't realize but Nana and Papa didn't get to hold Hayes at the hospital, so they were ready to get their hands on him!

With Aunt Lauren and cousin Jackson

Hayes got to meet his cousins Jackson and Parker.  They both liked him quite a bit, especially Parker.  The next day at Christmas at her other great-grandparents' house, she kept asking where Baby Hayes was.  Parker really likes Trent, so I guess she thinks his baby is okay too!

We headed home pretty early because there was a chance of snow.  Since Hayes was so little this year, we had to skip the Christmas Eve service at church, but I can't wait to take him next year! 

Christmas Eve Eve

Trent and I always exchange our gifts a couple of days before Christmas because we spend Christmas Eve (and the night before) with his family and Christmas Day with my family.  This year, we stayed at home the night before Christmas Eve and did our little family Christmas then.  Hayes got lots of books and a really cute stuffed monkey.  We can't wait for next year when Santa comes!

Beautiful Baby

At seven days old, Hayes had his first photo shoot.  My friend Jessica Ritchie, who is a fabulous photographer, took Hayes' newborn pictures.  They turned out so amazing!   

Thanks Jess!  We love you!

Splish Splash

Hayes had his first bath, and he was not a fan!

More Pictures from Hayes' Birth Day

Hayes with the other Thompson boys

Hayes with his great-grandparents

Hayes with Aunt Lauren, Aunt Meagan, and LeLe

Hayes with Aunt Erin

Hayes with Aunt Kristi (getting some practice in before Hayes' buddy Grayson gets here!)

Is There Anything More Precious . . .

than a four day old (sleeping!) baby boy?

Coming Home

After a two day stay at Washington Regional, we headed home with our sweet boy.  Loading him into the car seat was a little nerve-wracking for me - I think I checked every buckle at least three times - and driving home with our new precious cargo made Trent more than a little nervous!  But we made it and Aunt Jen was there to document Hayes' first glimpse of his new home.

Given the fact that Hayes surprised us, I of course had no clothes to bring him home in.  For Lucy, I had packed a gorgeous pink and white sweater outfit, but that obviously would not do for our boy!  Luckily, Aunt Jen was able to swing by Bella Jack's while we were still in the hospital and exchange it for a blue and white outfit that wouldn't embarrass Hayes.  However, we didn't think about socks!  So, I had to put him in these Converse socks that someone brought us as a gift.  Not a perfectly coordinated outfit, but he looked pretty cute regardless!

Here is Hayes all buckled up in his carseat, waiting to head home!  You don't catch him being this peaceful in his carseat very often.  He has decided that he does not like being in the seat unless we are actually moving and playing really loud music.   

Hayes Walker Thompson

On December 8, 2009, we welcomed our sweet baby boy Hayes Walker.  It was quite a day - one that we will never forget!

The week before, at my 38 week check-up, my doctor very casually - like it was just no big deal - said "well, we can induce next Tuesday if you want to."  I immediately started sweating!  I mean, I knew the baby was coming at some point in the next couple of weeks, but when she put a date on it, I got very nervous.  After interviewing all of my friends who have been induced and hearing mostly positive things, we decided to go for it. 

Here I am the morning we went in to have Baby Lucy - 39 weeks pregnant.

We arrived at the hospital at 6 a.m. and got set up in our room.  We were the only people having a baby that day, and we got a lot of attention with all of our pink stuff - the pink boppy, pink diaper bag, and wreath made of pink ornaments to hang on our door (so that everyone could easily locate our room).  The first nurse I had was definitely not my favorite.  First she offered some scary statistics associated with induction, then she told me I needed to wait to get my epidural until I couldn't handle my contractions anymore (which was so not what I was planning!), and then she did a terrible job with my IV.  Luckily, her shift ended an hour after we checked in.  My day nurses were terrific.  They told me I could go ahead and get my epidural without slowing down my labor, so we went ahead and did it.  By 8 a.m. they had started the pitocin drip and we were officially in labor.

Our last picture as non-parents!

Our families arrived around 9, except for my dad, who being the early bird that he is, arrived around 6:30 or 7.  I was feeling pretty relaxed from something they gave me along with my epidural, so I had a fun time just visiting with everyone.

Me with Dr. Smith

Me and Aunt Jen

With my mom and grandma

I made faster progress than we expected, and by 2:00, I was dilated to 10 centimeters and ready to start pushing!

Apparently, the baby was face down, instead of face up, and the head was not moving under my pelvic arch (whatever that is!).  I pushed for about an hour just to get the baby under the arch.  After that, I pushed twice more and our baby was born!  The nurses waited to call the doctor until the very end and the baby came out really quickly, so she didn't quite make it for the birth.  Luckily, I had great nurses who handled the delivery very well.

The baby was born at 3:10 pm, the exact same time as Trent.

Baby's first picture.

About the time that Jen took this picture, I looked down at the baby and noticed that her bottom didn't look like what I thought it was going to, even though I had been warned in our childcare class that it would be pretty swollen right after birth.  My confusion was quickly cleared up when the pediatric nurse said, "What a beautiful baby boy!"  At that point, I went from being confused to being in shock.  Although I was still pretty relaxed from the medication they had given me, my mind immediately went to the very girly (and carefully planned out) nursery we had waiting at home, as well as the complete girl's wardrobe with a bow to match every outfit.  Although I was so happy to have a healthy baby, I was sad that I wasn't going to get to do all of the girl things I had been thinking about for the past five months, nervous about raising a boy (the first boy in my family in a couple of generations), and sad that I hadn't been able to plan for him like I had for Lucy.  He didn't have a nursery and he didn't have any clothes!  I just remember my sister, who was in the room with us for the delivery, going over and taking pictures of the baby and looking back at me saying, "It's going to be okay - he's really cute!"  I'm sure she knew the thoughts going through my head.

My first good look at our baby boy!

 He weighed in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces.

We had to figure out how to break the news to our families who were outside in the waiting room.  We  knew they wouldn't believe it if just Jen went out to tell them, so Trent went with her.  My dad had ordered shirts that said "I Love Lucy" for everyone to wear after Lucy arrived, so we went with the same concept to announce our surprise.  Jen sacrificed her white T-shirt and luckily, there was a dry erase marker in the room.  Needless to say, everyone else was just as shocked as we were.  Luckily, we had discussed boy names before we had our 20 week ultrasound, so we were able to pretty quickly on a name for our sweet boy - Hayes Walker.  I think it will serve him well as he grows up (and I love that I got to use my maiden name!).

Walker family photo op

 Hayes' first close-up - what a cute boy!

 Erin and Kristi came (bearing "Lucy Campbell" cookies) as soon as they heard Hayes had arrived.  These two honorary aunts were just as stunned as everyone else.  We ate the cookies anyway!

Hayes with his grandpa - we're still not sure what his "grandpa name" is going to be - but I'm pretty sure he's pumped to finally have a little baseball player!

Although it took a little while to adjust to being the parents of a boy, we have fallen in love with little Hayes and are looking forward to baseball games, frogs in his pockets, and lots of other little boy adventures!