3 weeks old and only 2 days until her first Christmas!!!

I can't believe that Micah is already 3 weeks old today. As I realize how fast time is going, it makes me want to push the pause button so I can soak up each moment with her. This morning while I was getting Christmas gifts all together, I got to enjoy some fun time with her. She was awake and happy, and I loved every minute of it! Check out her big belly...I love it and could eat her up!!!

Here is my sleeping angel a few minutes later.

And another one of her sleeping...I know, they are almost the same, but I just think she looks absolutely precious all wrapped up and sleeping peacefully!

Here is yesterday's Christmas outfit. Wrigley joined in on the action.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas Eve eve :)

the countdown continues...4 days!

Micah is excited that there are only 4 more days until her first Christmas! As you can probably tell, we have a *few* Christmas outfits for our little one, and I wanted the world to see how precious she looks in all of them. This particular one is one of my very favorites! I fell in love with it one day a few months ago when I was bored and looking online during the day, and I just knew that Micah HAD to have it. I just think it is the perfect description of what Christmas is all about...peace and love. Jesus was born to bring us peace and show us what our Father's love is really about. It's a lot bigger than we can even imagine, but truly contemplating the birth of Jesus and his humble entrance from heaven onto the earth is truly amazing. Having Micah makes it all that much more close to home this year, and I really want her to understand from a young age what the true meaning of Christmas is. So, not only do I think this outfit is super cute, but I also love the words.

Wishing you peace and love this Christmas!

Dear Mr. Bouncy Seat...

You are the best invention ever. Micah adores you, which means that I do too. Over the last couple of weeks, you have afforded me many showers {and even the opportunity to put on some make-up and fix my hair a few times}, a few naps, and some meals with both hands free. You have become Micah's best friend {aside from her mommy and daddy of course}. You make her happy and can even lull her into sweet sleep. Thanks for being so awesome and helping my little love enjoy peaceful moments outside of our arms. I couldn't do it without you.

Love,
Stacey

**************
Only 5 days left until Christmas... Here's Micah in one of her Christmas dresses. I think she looks pretty dang cute :)

Enjoying some time with my Christmas Cutie

six days

Only six days until Christmas, and we are in the Christmas spirit around the Fieldhouse. All the Christmas gifts have been bought and are just waiting to be wrapped. {Which I really need to do, but one little precious has been taking up most of my time and attention these days.} We are really looking forward to spending some good time in College Station with our families, and I have a feeling they aren't complaining about some more time with Micah!

We have had a fun couple of days. We took Micah on her first walk yesterday. Here she is all bundled up and ready to go on a walk, and her daddy was excited to push her around the neighborhood and show her off.


Speaking of her daddy, Chris is awesome as a father. He has been so helpful for me and been available to soothe Micah when she cries and offer me some much needed "me" time. He is the best daddy ever, and I have fallen more in love with him in the past 2 1/2 weeks!
This is Micah's favorite "daddy hold." She falls asleep everytime, without fail.

Micah and daddy snuck in a little nap time this afternoon too!

I caught just a little "smile" on camera too. I know these aren't real smiles yet, but they make me so excited for the day that Micah starts truly smiling at us. I know it will completely melt me!

my two week old baby

Micah is two weeks old today. It's amazing to me how much she has already changed in such a short period of time and how I fall more in love with her everyday! She has started staying awake {and happy} for longer periods of time, and it is so fun to talk to you and watch her find us with her eyes. I have a feeling that being a parent is just going to get more and more fun!

We went for her two week appointment yesterday, and she had to get her PKU test done again. Oh my goodness. It was awful! Poor baby screamed the whole time, and it took what felt like an eternity. This is how she spent most of the rest of the day...totally wiped out! But, looking super cute :)

She weighed 8 lbs 9 oz, which is up 13 oz from last week! We have a good eater on our hands. And, she is 21 1/4 inches long. That puts her in the 50% for weight and 75% for length {we all know she doesn't get that from me:)} Because she is back up to her birth weight, we get to let her sleep at night for as long as she wants, which is super exciting. She's been a great night sleeper since we brought her home, and last night, she went 5 1/2 hours between feedings!!! It was amazing. Now, I realize that won't always be the case, but it sure felt good for Chris and me. The doctor also thinks that Micah may be having some heartburn/reflux and gave us a prescription for some meds. We think we can already tell a difference and are relieved that Micah will be feeling better!

Micah made her first trip to Wal-Mart this morning, and I don't think she loved it. No surprise! Now, she is enjoying some quality time with her daddy. Happy 2 weeks, baby girl! We love you to the moon and back.

first social outings

Over the weekend, Micah went on her first social outings. With Chris's family here, we decided to take advantage of the help for her first time out of the house {besides to see the doctor}.

We went to Schlotzsky's for dinner on Saturday night, which was Micah's first time in a restaurant. She did awesome! She fell asleep in her carseat on the way {as always!} and didn't wake up until an hour after we got home. The car is like magic for our sweet girl, and Chris and I really enjoyed some fun time out of the house.

Then, on Sunday, we made our first appearance at church. It was fun to get her all dolled up and show her off to our church family. Everyone loved her :) She did great at church, after a brief snack to get things started, and slept through the whole service without one peep. I was honestly a little nervous that she would wail during church because our girl can be fussy, but she was an angel! I was a proud mommy!

Here we are after our first church service as a family of three.

We go back to the doctor for Micah's 2 week appointment tomorrow, and we are hoping she is back up to her birth weight. She eats plenty, so I feel good about it.

I will update more later...Micah is telling me she's hungry :)

one week

Lots of "one week" things have happened in the last few days. Micah had her 1 week appointment with the pediatrician, whom we LOVE, and she has gained back some of the weight she lost in the hospital. Dr. S told us that she is looking great, and we of course were thrilled to hear it.

Micah also had her one week birthday on Wednesday. She is the cutest, most beautiful baby ever...not that I am biased or anything! She is a champ at eating and has slept REALLY well at night. She can be quite opinionated and is a bit fussy. But, when she finds us with her little eyes and makes her sweet little noises, we can't help but fall more in love with her. How can you resist this face?


Finally, today marks one week since we brought her home. On one hand, we can't believe it's already been a week, but then again, it seems like it's been much longer than just one week {in a good way}.

We have been so blessed to have family around to help us out. My mom was here until Tuesday morning, and Chris's mom came on Wednesday afternoon and will leave on Sunday. We are definitely spoiled by such amazing family that is so willing to help us out, and we will miss them like crazy when they are gone. We have also been fortunate to have a church family that has provided lots of meals for us since we have been home. It sure has been nice to be so well taken care of, but Chris and I are also looking forward to figuring out life as a famiy of 4 {have to include Wrigley}.

Hope you are all enjoying this holiday season!

our story

**Pictures will be added later. I have a little something taking up my time these days! :) **

This may be a little bit of a longer post, but I really want to document this story for me. So, it won't hurt my feelings if you choose not to read it :)

On Tuesday, December 1, we had one last sonogram and our 39 week appointment. We were excited to see our little girl one more time before we got to meet her and received a great report from the ultrasound tech once again. She was perfect. So, we headed over to see Dr. G. We had a feeling from some discussion at our appointment the week before that she might want to induce because of Micah's size. Sure enough, we talked with her and decided that our little girl would enter the world the next day starting around 6:00am. Needless to say, we were pretty excited! So, we headed home talking about all the things we wanted to get done that afternoon {pick up the house a bit, take a nap, etc.} and planned to go on a nice date to dinner and rent a movie before finishing our packing for the hospital. We would end the night by trying to go to bed early while dreaming about our little girl.

But, Micah had other plans. I started feeling pretty crampy after our visit to the doctor, but that had happened before. I didn't worry too much about it because I figured it would pass. Around 3:00pm, I was feeling pretty crummy and thought maybe if I just laid down and slept, it would get better. After laying down, I realized these were not just cramps but actual contractions and told Chris we better start timing them. They were coming about 5 minutes apart and were getting pretty painful. We called Dr. G after an hour or so, and she told us to go to the hospital. So, we put our plan in high gear and raced to pick up the house and pack for the hospital. We left the house around 4:50pm and picked up a little dinner for Chris "just in case." We also called our families on the way and told them they may need to head out a little earlier than we originally thought.

We got to the hospital, checked in, and headed up to labor and delivery. I got changed into a gown and hooked up to all the monitors. After watching me for about 30 minutes, they decided to just keep me in the hospital that night in case things started progressing, and if they didn't, the induction would continue as planned the next morning.

7:30pm - Contractions are really starting to hurt, so I get some Stadol. Holy cow, that was some crazy stuff. I think Chris found it quite entertaining because I was talking a lot, but my words were totally slurred. But, it definitely helped take the edge off of the contractions.

9:45pm - My parents get to the hospital, and we enjoy some conversation with them. Stadol is still working pretty well, and my parents also get a good laugh out of me.

10:30pm - My water breaks {craziest feeling ever!!}, and I immediately start feeling different. Contractions get a little worse, and I start feeling sick. My night nurse, Emily, convinces me to order my epidural right away {thank goodness!}.

10:45pm - I get my epidural, which was NOT bad AT ALL, and start feeling great almost immediately. I also get some phenergen to help with the nausea.

10:45pm-4:30am - I cannot feel anything from the contractions {bliss!}, and Chris and I even get to nap for a couple of hours. I am making steady progress, about 1 cm an hour.

4:45am - I started feeling a good amount of pressure from the contractions and get another dose put in my epidural. It helps a lot! Our families start making their way back to the hospital because I am dilated to 8 cm.

6:00am - I started getting some pitocin because I am getting stuck at 9cm.

9:00am - They come in to check me and say I am ready to push. FINALLY!!! My epidural is beginning to wear off, so I can feel lots of pressure now. I am ready to have this baby.

9:51am - After 45 minutes of intense pushing, Micah Elisabeth Field entered the world. I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on her or the first time I heard her big cry or the first time I saw her daddy hold her or the first time we laid hands on her to pray. Unforgettable.

After Chris and I shared a few minutes as a family, he went to the waiting room to break the news that she was here and finally reveal her name.

The rest of the day was filled with introducing our sweet Micah to family and friends.

It was a great day and one I will always remember. {It even SNOWED right before I began pushing!} Happy Birth Day, Micah Elisabeth! We love you!

we're home

We got to come home yesterday around noon, and it is still sort of surreal that she is actually ours to keep. We are falling more in love every moment and are learning a little about what it means to be parents. Micah is an incredible baby, and we are so blessed. I promise I will sit down to write more later and tell our story, but for now, I will leave you with some pictures {which is what I know you all want!}.

Micah and Dr. G

All dressed up in her going home outfit

Our family of three-ready to go home!

All bundled up in her carseat

We're home, and I think Wrigley is a fan :)

Checking her out

A little shout-out to Wrigley today, it's his 3rd {or 21st} birthday! More to come soon...

Micah Elisabeth Field :)

Our sweet baby girl is here...and we couldn't possibly be more in love.

She arrived at 9:51am this morning, weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce, and was 20 inches long. As you will see below, she has LOTS of precious hair. And she is absolutely perfect.

Chris and I are thankful beyond words, and we are praising God for this sweet little miracle.

so much to say...

Sweet baby girl,

I cannot believe that this part of our journey is almost over, and that in just a short time, I will be holding you in my arms. I know my life will never be the same, and I cannot wait to begin. I will never forget the day I found out that I was pregnant with you. I think I probably smiled for a whole week just thinking about it. I remember the first doctor's appointment and seeing your tiny little body on the screen with that little light just flashing away, and I got my first glimpse of the miracle that God has been working on every moment of every day since then. It was amazing to me to learn how you were growing and developing each week, and I am sure your dad would say that I was somewhat obsessed with knowing exactly what was happening. I was so well-read that I knew what the doctor had to say before she even said it :)

As my belly began to grow and become more noticeable, I loved being able to tell people that I was carrying you inside of me. Then the big day came, and we found out that you were a girl. It was so exciting to know and made it so much more real. We have had your name picked out since that day! You will be the first to hear your sweet name, baby girl, because we have kept it a secret all this time. I think it is perfect for you, and I hope you will love it as much as your daddy and I do.

Time flew by, and you just kept growing. I loved having a belly because it reminded me of the miracle of you. I will never forget the first time I felt you move inside my tummy. It felt like a little flutter, and I wasn't sure at first. But, it got stronger and stronger, and now I feel you all the time. You love to move around and remind me of how big and strong you are becoming. That is probably my favorite part of carrying you in my tummy. I love watching my whole belly move with you and seeing your daddy's face light up every single time he gets the chance to feel or see it too.

Your daddy and I pray for you every night and will continue to do so throughout your entire life. I pray that you will be a woman of unwavering faith and deep conviction and possess a love for God and your neighbors that cannot be paralleled. I pray that your daddy and I will be good examples of Christ-followers for you. I pray that you will never doubt how much we love you but even more than that, how much your heavenly Father loves you. As the verse on your wall says, "may you always act justly, learn to love mercy, and walk humbly with the Father." That is our deepest prayer for you.

I cannot wait to meet you tomorrow, my precious daughter. Be prepared for lots of cuddles, hugs, and kisses. I will miss being pregnant with you though, and it has been a privilege to carry you the past 39 weeks. I love you so much already, and I know that will multiply a million times tomorrow when I hold you in my arms and look into your eyes for the first time. Thanks for making me a mommy. Happy birth day eve, sweet pea!

Love you to the moon and back,
Your Mommy

'Tis The Season

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Good food and good time spent with family. We have so much to be thankful for, and the older I get, the more I find that I appreciate Thanksgiving as a time to slow down and remember those things. I love Christmas, but I realized this year that it kind of upset me that Thanksgiving kind of gets ignored. So, I really wanted to soak it up this year. My parents came up to spend the holiday with us since I cannot travel far anymore. We enjoyed visiting on Wednesday, cooking together leisurely on Thursday, and then ate some yummy food around the table. We sure did miss the rest of our family but were very thankful to have my parents here to celebrate with us. Naptime in the afternoon and a great showing by the Aggies on Thursday night topped off a wonderful Thanksgiving.

On Friday morning, we got up and went to the early showing of Blindside. If you haven't seen, you MUST! You will not regret it. Seriously, best movie I have seen in a long time. Go!!! When we got back to the house, we pulled down the Christmas decorations and got busy. With our sweet girl's impending arrival, we wanted to make sure we got everything set up before she gets here. My mom helped us put up the tree, which I love. Chris's grandparents gave us their "old" tree because it was just a bit too wide for their space. We were happy to inherit a beautiful, prelit tree. I think it fits our living room perfectly! So, thanks Grandmamma & Grandaddy!

We go back to the doctor on Tuesday instead of Monday this week. Dr. G ordered another sonogram because she wants to be certain of the size of our sweet pea. The ultrasound tech was booked up until Tuesday, so we have to wait. It feels weird not to plan on going tomorrow, but I will wait if it means I get to take yet another peak at that sweet little girl. Maybe we'll have some news to share after the appointment on Tuesday.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed time with family wherever you were. As we usher in the Christmas season, I hope you will be blessed with peace and joy...the exact things Jesus came to bring!

38 weeks and Happy Thanksgiving!

38 weeks here we are, and it is officially the holiday season! I remember back at the beginning of April when we found out that we were expecting this sweet little one that it felt like this time of year would never get here. But, somehow, it has arrived, and I am getting a little impatient for another sweet arrival! My belly has gotten even bigger, and my excitement has too. Here is proof of the former:

At my 38 week appointment on Monday, Dr. G confirmed that my belly had gotten bigger and thinks that our sweet little girl may have put on a pound in the past week!! Wow. I am now dilated to 3 cm and about 75% effaced. Because of my progression and the fact that it is Thanksgiving week and Dr. G will be out of town this weekend, she asked if she could strip my membranes, which is a procedure that can stir things up and get labor going if it's super close. So, we said, "sure." I thought it might be painful but was pleasantly surprised that it was not bad at all. However, I am still here and still pregnant. We are still waiting but are thankful every moment for a healthy pregnancy and a few more restful nights together.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am mindful of all the things I have to be thankful for. I am beyond blessed and hope that tomorrow will not only be full of good food and family {my parents are celebrating with us here in Rowlett} but also a day to continually be reminded of how grateful we are for the things God has provided us. I am thankful for my sweet husband who is always willing to serve me and love me in whatever ways I need {and so much more that would take me forever to list here}. He truly is my best friend, and I adore him. I am thankful for this precious child growing inside of me. I cannot wait to meet her and begin the journey of being her mommy. I am thankful for my family and their unconditional love. I am thankful for great friends. I am thankful for my home where I have more space than I need and a bed, food, and comfortable temperatures with running water. I am thankful for Wrigley. And so so much more. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a wonderful day.

the nursery!!!

The nursery is finally done {except for her initials which will not go up until after she has arrived :)}, and we LOVE it! I am warning you now that this post will contain lots of pictures, but I hope you enjoy them. So, here it is...baby girl's nursery!

This is the view from the door, looking to your right.

View from the door to the left. Above the glider are 2 dresses that were mine when I was a baby.

Giraffes are kind of a sub-theme in her room. One of our good friends, Gretchen, hand-painted this giraffe for us, and it is just perfect in her room!

Her dresser/changing table. My mom made the cover for the changing pad. I decorated the canvases above the dresser using paint, ribbon, and wall stickers.

Facing the door... her toy box and the window pane, which is super special. Read below.

This window pane was given to us by our dear friend, Kristy Crim, and inside it are letters that Chris has written to our baby. The first one he wrote the night we found out we were pregnant, the second the day we found out she was a girl, and he will write one more {to go on the bottom} on the day she is born. I LOVE this!

Another view of the bookshelf. The little outfits on top were Chris's when he was little! The rest of the shelf is filled with books and goodies that have been given to us either when we were babies or for our sweet girl.

Another view of her crib...I just love her bedding, and the quilt her Mimi made her is the perfect touch.

Another view from the door, so you can see the window.

Her closet, already full of clothes. She will be one well-dressed baby.

Sweet baby shoes

Her bows and more closet :)

Thanks for hanging in there with me! We are thrilled with how it all turned out. Now all we need is our sweet pea to enjoy it with us.

low prices. low expectations.

I have a funny story to share with you from my Wal-Mart escapade yesterday. I had been planning to make my big grocery trip for the next several days, including Thanksgiving, on Friday {yesterday} all week long. Even though it was raining, I was determined to go and get it over with because honestly grocery shopping isn't my favorite thing to do. And, who really enjoys going to Wal-Mart? So, I set out on Friday morning to get it done. All the shopping itself went fine, and my cart was loaded down. I probably couldn't have fit much more in it, and I definitely couldn't have pushed it with much more in it. So, I headed to the check-out lines. I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a long line and began unloading my stuff.

This is where the fun begins. I had picked up a few things for church, so I was paying for those things separately. When the lady checking me out saw that I had those few things separate, she asked why. So, I just told her that it was for church, and I had to keep it separate so I could be reimbursed. She proceeds to say, "I don't mean to be rude, but aren't you supposed to give to church?" Wow. I decided to be polite, although there were many snappy things going through my head. So, I just said something about that being a good question and brushed it off.

Bad start to my experience with this check-out lady. So, she notices I am pregnant and asks me if it is a boy or girl. So, I tell her it's a girl, and she says, "oh, it will look like you." {How would she know anyway?!?} I say, "Yeah, my husband always says he hopes so too." She says, "HUSBAND?!?!?!?!?" in her most flabbergasted voice. Trying not to be offended, I say yes. She says you look too young to have a husband. Thanks, but by now, I am getting a little exhausted by her comments. She continues for a few minutes about how horrible the last month of pregnancy is. Again, thanks.

As if that isn't bad enough, she takes a look at all the stuff I am getting and says, "I can tell you are pregnant." Okay. Now she's done it. I mean, seriously?!? Who says that? So, again, I try to maintain my composure {what little is left of it} and say something about it actually not being just for me...

Finally, I am free. Or at least that is what I think. I go outside to pouring down rain. Great. I have an umbrella, but what good does that do you when you are trying to unload an entire cart full of groceries. I toss the umbrella into the trunk and start furiously throwing bags into the trunk, trying desperately not to crush the bread or eggs with the milk. The 40-something year old cart guy comes up, and I think, "oh, he's going to be a gentleman and help me, the 9 month pregnant lady, with my cartload of groceries." Nope. He just stands there waiting for my cart, but apparently I am taking too long. So, he just goes in! That's right, he leaves me there to get soaking wet because I was taking too long!

I finally finished, got into the car looking like a drowned rat, and couldn't help but laugh. Oh Wal-Mart, what would I do without you? I guess you get what you pay for :)

37 weeks and another good check-up :)

So far, I am doing better with blogging this week than last, so that is good. Is anyone else just loving this cold weather? It's nice to actually be able to use the word "cold" and not "chilly." Although I have adored the gorgeous fall weather we've been having, I am looking forward to dipping into some nice cold weather. Something about it just makes it feel like the holidays, and the season is definitely upon us. So, I will enjoy opening the door to 40 degree weather at least for a day or two and wrap up in a nice blanket on the couch. So wonderful!

We have officially reached full term! That has seemed so far away for so long that it is really hard to believe that it is actually here. 37 whole weeks of carrying this little lovey in me, and I have honestly cherished every moment of it. Have you ever really thought about how incredible the whole process is? My body knows exactly what to do at exactly the right time, and I don't even have to think about it. I don't even have to understand it or know what is taking place because my body just KNOWS. It creates a life while I go on with mine. I can't imagine not believing in God after going through this amazing experience. He has been so good to us throughout the whole thing, and I am truly blessed to have felt so great and have everything go so smoothly! We are constantly praising Him for our little girl and the privilege of witnessing this miracle!

We went back to the doctor yesterday for our weekly check-up, and things are still looking great. I am dilated to "almost" 3 cm and still 50% effaced. The doctor is optimistic and always so positive about everything. Chris and I still can't get over hearing her sweet heartbeat everytime we go...the best thing ever! I have definitely been having more and more contractions, so I guess my body is just doing what it was meant to do and getting ready for the craziest/best experience of my life. We are already praying for a smooth, healthy delivery and just trying to be patient in the meantime. Only 3 more weeks until we get to meet the child we've been praying over for 9 months now!

the week that got away...

So sorry that I haven't posted this week! I thought about blogging probably every evening but just never got around to it. {Or maybe it's that I just didn't feel like it :)} I will try to briefly catch you up on what has been happening around our house this week.

On Monday morning, Chris and I got up and went to Target and Babies R Us to get the last bit of necessities for our baby girl. We officially have everything we need, along with pretty much anything we could want, set up for her when she arrives. We also got the most precious Christmas outfit EVER! You will not want to miss those pictures once the sweet pea is here. Monday afternoon brought our weekly appointment with Dr. G. Everything is still going well, and we are continuing to progress! Love getting good news at those appointments. Funny how going to the doctor becomes so much fun. Monday night was a girls' Bible study with some of the girls from church. Fun but tiring day!

Tuesday marked 36 weeks! That means that at the most we get to meet this little lady in FOUR weeks. 4 weeks! Can't wait. Here is the 36 week belly. I feel like there is no way we can get any bigger, and yet she proves me wrong every week.

Tuesday afternoon was another long but fun afternoon. Let me preface what happened with a brief history... We got the carseat a couple of weeks ago, and I told Chris that I wanted to "practice" getting it in and out of the Xterra. Really, we both wanted to make sure I could do it since the backseat was SO tall, and I am, well, not so tall :) Let's just suffice to say that I had a VERY hard time. I almost had to crawl into the backseat to get it off the base. So, in swoops my amazing prince of a husband who did some research, did some negotiating, and took me on Tuesday to get our new {to us} car. We said goodbye to Roxy, the Xterra, and traded for this beauty.

And, the best news is, I can actually get the carseat in and out without any trouble!

The rest of the week consisted of errands, dinner with sweet friends, a lovely pedicure, earning $140 for driving to and from downtown Dallas {a whole other story}, getting things washed and put away for baby, cleaning house, and enjoying a fabulous dinner date with my love. So, there it is. Our week. I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend! Be blessed.

another sweet shower

Some ladies from our church here hosted a shower for baby girl on Sunday, and it was wonderful! Everything was just precious, and I had a great time. Let me just say that our baby is going to be one loved little girl. All the gifts were incredible, but I was most thankful for everyone's presence and excitement for her arrival. We are so blessed with some great friends here.

They went all out on this shower! Here are some pictures:

the guest sign-in table

the cake table

everyone even got to take a sweet little favor home

the hostesses and me

my mom got to come!

I'll leave you with Wrigley modeling one of her gifts :)