First snuggle...

Kay has been doing great today! We got to visit with her several times. They even let me do Kangaroo Care or "skin to skin". This is where they put the baby on my chest and cover us with blankets and let us snuggle. It was so special. Kay slept almost the entire time and I even got a small nap in. After a little over an hour the nurse put her back in her bed and she decided to open her eyes and check out mom and dad. It was very neat!

Nana stopped by and got to take a quick peek before heading over to help with Kay's cousin Charlotte. It was neat for them to meet. We can't wait until she is able to be held by everyone.

We got to visit Kay again tonight. Grandma got to see her for a few minutes and then had to step out so we could discuss all the latest information with the nurse (only two people are allowed in the room at all times). Craig got to change her diaper for the first time. It was very humorous. It is really hard to get your hands inside the holes and hold her tiny body. On top of that she decided to "dirty" her new diaper right as he took the dirty one off. She weighed in at 4 lbs 10 oz tonight. Only down 1 oz, so far so good! They did half her feeding through a bottle nipple. It is amazing how tiny everything is for her. Here are some pictures from our day. Notice how small the blood pressure cuff is compared to Craig's wedding ring...

Sleep...

I am typing while waiting for my breakfast and Craig is taking a morning nap. We both got some pretty good sleep last night. Grandma and Grandpa came over and brought us dinner last night. Mom helped me take a shower. It is amazing how much more "human" a shower can make one feel after so many days of bed rest. My goal for today is to take another shower and get out of this hospital gown.

Dad and Craig visited Kay while mom was helping me and they got to see her open her eyes and take a quick peek at the outside world!

Craig and I went for her 8:30 feeding and got the latest updates before bed. They did 1/2 of her feeding by syringe directly into her mouth last night. So far so good on the weight. She has remained steady. The nurse said this is great news, but to still not be surprised if she drops some in a few days.

Craig just got a quick report this morning and the nurse said she did well throughout the night. They said she was a little warm so they reduced the temperature on her bed.

We will go for a visit around her next feeding time around 8:30! They said to try to limit visits to feedings because it helps keep the stimulation down. This will be our plan for now.

Nana flies in from Nashville in a few hours. She was planning on coming to town this weekend to help with Kay's cousin Charlotte. This will be a fun treat for her to meet the newest addition to the Hardin family!

Thanks again for the emails/calls/comments. We are trying to start returning them now that we are more alert. They have been SO helpful and motivating because it breaks our heart every time we have to leave her side.

Love- Craig, Emily and Kay!

Kay Ellen Hardin is here!

Kay Ellen Hardin born June 18, 2009 at 4:01 am. 18 inches long 4 lbs 11 oz.

The story behind her name:

Kay was my mom's middle name (before she was married): Cynthia Kay Herse Baker and Ellen is for Craig's mother Ellen Gail Hardin and grandmother Laura Ellen Hackney.

She is so sweet! I am getting ready to post the story...the pictures are not in order, but enjoy our sweet little girl!!

Kay's story...

Well, Kay has continued on her night time party theme. It has been a wild several days and her trend of starting action at 1 am continued last night.

As I left off yesterday I was having contractions pretty much since we were checked in here Sunday at 3 am. Last night before bed they put me on a leg compression machine to make sure I did not get blood clots in my legs from being in bed so long. I laughed when they told me to get rest as I was now hooked up to 1) an IV drip (to help keep me from getting dehydrated to hopefully stop the contractions) 2) a contraction monitor around my belly 3) a fetal heart rate monitor around my belly 3) a pulse/oxygen machine around my toe 4) a blood pressure cuff that went off every hour 5) and leg compression things that pumped up every hour... not exactly in line with my "I want to get up and walk around during labor plan".

About 1 am I could definitely tell something was a little different. The contractions were the same strength, but felt very different. They decided to check and see how dilated I was. They had not checked since I was admitted for fear of infection. Sure enough, I was 9 cm, the doctor was called and alerted and Pitocin was started to speed things along. My contractions did not change too much with the medicine. By about 3:30 am they were telling me to push. The contractions were about 5 minutes apart still, so we had time for me to "rest" between pushes. Kay was born at 4:01 am!!

As soon as she came out she gave a cry to let us know everything was ok. She got a APGAR score of 9 one minute and five minutes after being born. She was stable enough Craig got to help cut the chord and I got to snuggle for about a minute. Craig went with her to the NICU while I was stitched up and repaired.

We then moved to our 4th room since Sunday. We took about an hour nap while we waited for the doctors to tend to Kay. They have been encouraging me to pump until Kay is able to feed.

We were able to see Kay in the NICU. We will be very limited on visitors and she can only be held two times a day. Overall she is doing wonderfully. She is stabilizing her temperature and breathing on her own. Now, we just need her to continue on and "fatten up". Probably easier said than done with her "skinny" jeans from her mom, yes she does have our skinny legs :)

It is very unknown in terms of when she will be coming home. We are praying and keeping our fingers crossed things continue as they are!

We were a little sad to learn that we will be unable to donate the umbilical chord because she was less than 34 weeks. We were really hoping to be able to do so.

She has a sweet quilt over her bed that was donated. We learned we get to take it home. I plan to make one in return for someone else who has an adventure like ours!

Craig and I both got a great nap in this afternoon. I am feeling much better and will let everyone know how he is doing after he wakes up.

Grandma and Grandpa were able to quickly peek in and see their granddaughter. It is very hard not to snuggle and give kisses, but we know that is what is best for Kay right now. We are hoping to make it up to the Special Care Nursery for her next feeding at 5:30 tonight.

Thanks!

This blog post is for my loving husband and all our friends and family. We have received so many thoughts, prayers, emails etc. throughout these past few days. We could not ask for anything more. Although I am not responding to each individual email, phone call, and comment on the blog we appreciate them all! They keep our spirits, up and keep them coming! I am trying to focus my short amount of time and energy on the blog so I can update everyone at once.

Craig has been nothing but wonderful. I know he is getting tired of tending to me non-stop. It is really really hard to sit back and not do anything. I feel like a ticking time bomb and don't want to move the wrong way. I think he had prepared himself for tending to a new born, but tending to a helpless wife is a whole new challenge.

Things remain about the same. I am still on the monitor, baby is still sounding good on the monitor, and contractions are about the same. Mom stopped by and helped give me a sponge bath. I think she is going to come back tonight to let Craig get out for a few minutes and maybe get some fresh air. It is pretty boring around here. We spend our days anxiously listening to the monitor, getting my vitals checked, getting helpers to get unhooked for the bathroom, and watching tv/resting.

Thanks for everything. Hopefully baby Hardin will leave us all in suspense a little longer for its gender :)

Baby is still cooking!

Well, we made it through the night. I had contractions pretty consistently every 20 minutes throughout the night. Although I woke up for most of them, my sleep medicine really helped me catch a few minute naps between them. Craig was a trooper too. He did not get a lot of sleep, but did get a few hours of shut eye between all the nurse checks and me making it through contractions.

We met with my doctor this morning. My favorite doctor is on call today. She is letting me eat a light breakfast again. They have taken more blood and continue to check vitals, temperature, and tenderness in the belly. As long as there is no change, they are going to keep baby Hardin cooking. If anything starts to turn, they will induce immediately. My doctor seemed very positive with the progress so far and said she felt very comfortable if we had to induce today because we have bought so much time.

At this point, the baby is not really gaining weight, but just putting its energy toward developing and getting ready for the outside world.

We continue to lay and rest and hope things continue like this...The more relaxed I am, the lighter the contractions and more spread out. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers!

Ahhh... Dinner...

Well, I got the ok for some non clear liquids and a light dinner. I feel like a new woman with food in my belly. I am still having regular contractions. I am aiming for a 8 pm bedtime with some sleeping medicine tonight. Craig is camped out in his chair and we are hoping for some shut eye. Hopefully this baby will not be ready to party tonight at 1 am like it has in the past! Here are a few pictures from the past few hours. You can see that I really enjoyed my root beer. A welcomed change from ginger ale and sprite.


Craig and I would also like to say what wonderful staff we have had here so far. It is amazing how many nurses have been in and out of our rooms and they have ALL been so helpful, understanding, informative, and attentive. It is so comforting to know we are in good hands!