Friday, May 23, 2008

Lots of ZZZs


Last night Reagan slept through the night for the first time!  She is 2 and 1/2 months old and has been typically waking up twice during the night to feed, but last night she surprised us all.  I fed her at 8pm, she was asleep by 9 in her bassinet and we didn't hear a peep from her until 6:15 this morning.  Of course I instinctively woke up at 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30 to make sure she was still breathing :)  Hopefully this will be a new trend and Steve, Karly, Reagan and I can all say goodbye to late night tv.

Reagan's first day at the pool



The pools in our subdivision just opened last weekend, so Aunt Karly and I thought it would be fun to dress Reagan up in her swim attire (thank you Krysta and John) and take her for a stroll to the pool.  By the time we got there, she was sound asleep and the water was pretty cold anyway so we just took a few pictures and left.  Maybe next time we will actually take a dip :)

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Rollin' Reagan



Reagan has been rolling over since she was 3 weeks old! I couldn't believe it the first time it happened. And of course it was at 6 am when I was the only one watching. So for awhile, no one believed me. But once I caught it on video no one can deny her dexterity. She is quite the mover!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Our 3 Year Anniversary!

Yesterday Steve and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary! I can't believe three years have gone by since we began this crazy journey! It has been wonderful! Even with the two deployments and two cross country moves, I wouldn't trade these past three years for anything. With Steve's busy military career, I am just so thankful that we got to spend this special day together. Reagan and I met Steve at his office and we had a picnic lunch together. It is crazy to think that on our last anniversary we were talking about how we both really wanted to start a family and wondering if it would ever be possible, and now here we are, blessed with our first baby girl! We really have so much to celebrate and be thankful for!

Reagan's Two Month Check up

Reagan had her 2 month well baby check up this week. At which time she was also given her first three shots. It was a pretty traumatic experience for both she and I, but she was a trooper! Her weight was 10 pounds 7 ounces and her length was 23 inches, both of which are in the 50th percentile for her age group. The doctor said her head shape is looking better, but if it hasn't improved by the 4 month visit, we may have to be referred to a specialist and prescribed a helmet. I am just praying that it rounds out on it's own, but if that is her only health concern, we should consider ourselves very lucky!

My First Mother's Day



This Mother's Day was both my first and best one yet! I got to spend it with my beautiful new daughter, my amazing husband, and my awesome sister. It would have only been better if my Mom and Denise could have been here too. Reagan is honestly the best Mother's Day gift anyone could ask for! She is such a joy and a blessing! Lately she has been smiling so much and even laughing when we talk to her. It is so hard to be so far away from our families at these times because they are missing out on all these milestones. We are taking Reagan home the last week in May for Tommy's graduation party, and that trip just can't come soon enough!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Reagan's Infant Dedication Ceremony



Steve and I are so blessed to have found a wonderful church here in Charlotte.  The belief here is that baptism should take place when individuals are old enough to make that conscious decision for themselves.  So as infants, they offer what is called an infant dedication ceremony.  This is an opportunity for the parents to make a public commitment to raising their child in the Christian Faith.  Steve, Reagan, and I took part in this ceremony last night, and it was very special to all of us.  Three other infants were also dedicated, and all four of their pictures were projected onto big screens in the background.  Our pastor held each child and prayed for them individually.  We were so happy to have Grandma Denise and Aunt Karly there for the ceremony.  Karly and Andrew have agreed to be Reagan's Godparents, and we are so thankful for that.  Reagan slept through most of the ceremony in Steve's arms, but she seemed very content.  

Monday, May 5, 2008

She is quite a mover!




Reagan and her big sis, Abby

More Reagan Stories

April 11th, 2008
On an exciting note, Reagan has now rolled over from her stomach to her back 4 times. All four have been first thing in the morning and usually I am the only one up with her to see it. Fortunately, this morning I caught it on videotape so now everyone has to believe. I still can’t get over how much she moves and how alert she is!
Today we had her one-month-old well baby appointment. She weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and was in the 50th percentile for both length and weight. The doctor said she is perfect health wise and we are so thankful for that! In my opinion she is also perfect in every other way! I can’t even explain the love I feel for her! There is nothing better than the feeling that I get when I look into her eyes and she stares back up into mine. She is mama’s little angle, and I thank God for her every day!

April 18, 2008
Well, last night was a pretty rough evening. I’m so thankful my Dad and Margy were here because Reagan was so upset and gassy. I guess I just really need to cut anything questionable out of my diet. I had cucumber in my lunch yesterday and I think that is what did it. We had to call Stephanie again, and of course she came right over and was a huge help. But it was just breaking my heart when she was screaming and in pain. Thank goodness it passed after several hours and she actually slept well during the night. Today my Dad and Margy went to Asheville for the day, Karly is at work, and Steve is in Clemson until tomorrow. So it is just Reagan, Abby, and I for the day. We actually went on our first jog this morning. It was tougher than I thought it would be, but I have to start sooner or later.
Reagan has been so much more alert and watchful these past few days. She is always looking at the fan or staring into our faces. She is so precious! She is growing out of more and more of her clothes and she is getting the cute little baby chub rolls! Right now she is on her way to sleeping in her swing. Her eyes are getting heavy. It has been really nice to have my Dad and Margy here. They are both so good with Reagan. I used the Bjorn the first time when we went on a hike at Reedy Creek Park. Reagan slept the whole time, so I guess she really doesn't mind the Bjorn.

May 2, 2008
Well, it has been about 2 weeks now without company. I was kind of nervous about being alone with Reagan all day and being able to keep her entertained and happy, but things have been going really well. It is difficult at times because with 5 weeks of family and friends visiting, Reagan was constantly held and constantly slept in someone’s arms. Now that it is just me home with her during the day, I can't do that all the time. But she had gotten a lot better about playing on her mat and looking up at her toys and being entertained in her vibrating chair and swing. Every day she gets a little more round and pudgy! She is so adorable! I just stare at her most of the day and still can’t believe she is mine! Steve, Karly, and I have been trying to do some sleep training with her. We are using Dr. Weissbluth’s techniques in “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child”. His main points are to get her back to sleep during the day within 2 hours of wakefulness and to bring her bedtime earlier. Since we have started this, she has been sleeping more all together and she is even a happier baby when she is awake! I just hope this pattern continues!
Reagan had her first non-family babysitter last week. I took her over to my neighbor’s (Linda Brill- she is a grandmother herself and a very sweet lady) just to chat for a while, and while I was there, she insisted that I get some errands run while she kept the baby. So I let her and she was in heaven. When I got back they were still in the same position I had left them. Linda was rocking Reagan who was sleeping contently. I made the quickest trip to Harris Teeter I have ever made because I wasn’t sure if Reagan would get fussy.
This week Reagan has definitely started smiling more! She appears to smile when I make funny faces and I just love that. She loves the upstairs bathroom because the lights are really bright and there are lots of mirrors so we spend a lot of time up there. She will look at herself in the mirror and smile. I have to get a video of that sometime soon!

Reagan and her many fans

Our wonderful neighbors, Stephanie and Jordan
My good high school friend, Kelsey
Grandpa Bob and Grandma Margy

Great Aunt Carol and Uncle Eddie

Our Wonderful Family and Friends Come to Visit!

Grandma Barb
Aunt Cate
Uncle Tom
Grandpa Cap
Our great friend Allie
Uncle John, Aunt Jeanne, and Kinsey with Baby Reagan
The Wonderful Aunt Karly
Grandma Barb
Grandma Denise
Daddy and Uncle Andrew



March 27th
About 2 hours after Grandma Barb left to go home to Michigan, Andrew and Niki arrived! It has been so nice to have them here and watch them interact with Reagan. Niki is such a natural and Andrew likes to hold her and he even changes diapers. They will be such great parents themselves someday! I just wish we didn’t live so far from them! They are so fun to be with!

We also had Reagan’s two-week well baby check up today. We were so happy to learn that she weighs 7 pounds 6 ounces! This means she is getting enough breast milk and she is now well above her birth weight. This is also great because the lactation consultant said I could now start phasing out the pumping sessions. Sometimes with all this pumping and feeding, I feel like a real Dairy Queen :)

March 30th
Well, yesterday afternoon Denise and Catherine got here and they will be here for a week as it is Cate’s spring break. It is so great to have them here. Andrew and Niki leave this afternoon and we are pretty sad about that. They have both been so good with Reagan and it has been great to spend time with them.

April 11, 2008
Well, another round of company has come and gone. Tommy came for a week on his way home from Spring Break and Cap came for 2 days and just left today. I think they both instantly fell in love with Reagan. I don’t know how they could not. She is such an angel. She really isn’t fussy too often and she has been sleeping and eating well. We have only had one scary incident so far. A few nights ago (when it was just Karly and I with Reagan. Steve was at an overnight in Clemson) she was extremely fussy after a midnight feeding. Neither Karly nor I could calm her down. We tried everything and she began crying real tears and screaming at the top of her lungs. At that point, I was desperate and decided to call my neighbor, Stephanie (she used to be a neonatal nurse). It was midnight of course but she came rushing over and put us at ease. As soon as she held Reagan she immediately stopped fussing and seemed to relax. We determined it was just bad gas and ever since I have been really careful about what I eat. I have cut out dairy and am drinking only soymilk. Thank God for Stephanie! I think she really is Reagan’s guardian angel!

Reagan Michele Pinkerton

Born on March 11, 2008 at 5:47 pm
6 pounds, 5 ounces, 20 inches
These last 11 days (the first 11 days of Reagan’s life) have been a whirlwind. The time has flown by, and I have been meaning to sit down and journal the whole experience so that I will never forget this special time. Well, 11 days later, Reagan is sleeping, Daddy is at the gym, my mom and Karly are at the grocery store, and Abby is content basking in the sun outside, so I finally have a minute to reflect.

It all started the morning of Tuesday, March 11th (the day after my actual due date). The night before I have bunco at Donna’s house and was out til 10:00 talking with the ladie and informing them that I was scheduled for an induction Thursday morning if Reagan hadn’t come by then. At 7am I got up with Steve and made his eggs for breakfast and put together a lunch for him. I said goodbye to Karly as she headed to work and then went up stairs to get ready for the gym. Abby was looking so comfortable cuddled up in our bed so I decided to lye down and pet her for a minute. At that point she got up and circled around and plopped herself down right on my stomach. I got up to go to the bathroom and as I was bending to get a headband…….my water broke! (7:45am) I ran to the phone to call Steve who had just left for work. He hadn’t gotten far so he immediately turned around to come home. He stopped his jeep at the top of our sloping driveway but forgot to put it in park. Needless to say when he came back outside to load up the bags, the jeep was in the middle of the cul de sac. At that point we were overwhelmed with excitement! Steve took Abby to the golf course to tire her out for her day by herself and I shaved my legs, brushed my hair, ate a bowl of cereal, and put on some make up. Within a half hour we were loaded into the jeep and headed to the hospital.
It was a pain free ride for me, as my contractions had not started yet. On the way we managed to call all of our family, and within an hour Denise and Cate had booked a flight, which was to get into Charlotte at around 7pm. Upon arrival to the hospital, we were directed to triage where the nurse confirmed that my water had indeed broken and I was only about 1 centimeter dilated. She informed us that because my natural contractions hadn’t started, it would be best to start pitocin within the hour. Steve and I were then directed to a labor and delivery room and introduced to our nurse, a very friendly talkative southern lady. Her first task was to give me the largest IV I had ever seen. After a brief bout of nausea, I was fine and trying to mentally prepare myself for the events to come. According to the monitor, my contractions started soon after the pitocin was administered, but I could not feel them at all (which was nice). So the nurse upped the amount of pitocin and I soon started feeling the pain. Luckily, by that time, Karly had gotten off work and was at my side. She was very soothing and helpful throughout my whole labor experience. The contractions soon became unbearable and I tried getting on the birthing ball. I was leaning on Steve and Karly was rubbing the small of my back. But after awhile, I knew I would need an epidural. By the time I decided to get one though, the anesthesiologist was called in for an emergency C-section and would be a good half an hour. So, after the longest half an hour of my life, I was poked twice in the back before the doc found the epidural space. But thankfully, this would be thehardest part of the whole birthing process. Minutes after the epidural was administered I felt nothing at all from my waist down. My legs were dead weight and I could not feel them or move them at all. At that point, I was 5 centimeters dilated and was able to relax, read a book, and even take a short nap before Dr. Wheeler arrived around 5:15. At that point he check me and I was fully dilated. Soon after I started pushing. Steve held my right leg and Karly held my left and after 6 sets of pushes, Reagan made her way into the world. Dr. Wheeler brought out a mirror so I could watch the whole thing, and although I was reluctant at first, it was so amazing and I’m glad I did!
Reagan was immediately placed on my chest skin to skin where she stayed for at least an hour. She immediately grasped on to my finger with her tiny hand and I knew I was instantly in love! To my surprise, she was not covered in white goop, but was rather clean, a little purple, and so perfect. She lay there wide-eyed without crying, just taking it all in. It was so amazing. Steve looked a little overwhelmed and standoffish, so I reminded him that he could touch her too. After about an hour and hundreds of pictures the nurses took Reagan away to weigh and measure her and give her her vitamin K shot and eye cleaning. Then Steve got to hold her for the first time and that was so incredible to watch. She looked like a little peanut in his hands. Then it was Karly’s turn and she was a natural with her.
Soon we were ready to move up to the recovery room. This room was much smaller, but still pretty nice. Steve had a very small pull out chair to sleep in so he wasn’t too excited about that. At this point I still couldn’t feel my legs at all so I was wheeled up in a wheelchair. By this point I hadn’t eaten since my morning bowl of cereal and was literally starving. Karly went to Chick fila and brought me a grilled chicken sandwich and directed Denise and Cate back to the hospital. They were sad that they didn’t make it for the birth, but they were so excited to see baby Reagan. Denise got to change the first tarry diaper and Steve held her little legs up in disgust.
We came home 24 hours after Reagan’s birth. Steve was anxious to get out of the hospital and the Dr.’s said that both Reagan and I were perfectly healthy and ready to go home. Denise and Cate stayed for 5 days and mom overlapped their visit by one day so it was nice to have everyone here. Aunt Jeanne, Uncle John, Michael, and Kinsey came to visit when Reagan was 3 days old. It was so nice to have her meet them! Uncle John took over one hundred gorgeous pictures while they were here. Mom stayed for about 10 days and was such a huge help! I really don’t think I could have been as sane the first few weeks if it weren’t for her advise and experience to guide me along! She is so good with Reagan, and Reagan loves to look up at her and listen to her voice. I definitely have a whole new level of respect for my mom now that I realize all that she did for me as a baby!

She is Here!

My Labor Coaches

Grandma Denise and Aunt Cate arrived just hours after Reagan's birth.
On the way home from the hospital