1 Month Old Already!

I can't believe it but Miss Anna is already 1 month (almost 5 weeks) old! WOW!! She's starting to pudge up and get some cute, little rolly polly legs and arms!! YAY!! She's more alert and staying awake for longer periods during the day. She's also starting to notice different objects around the house. I almost got a smile out of her the other day, but I'd consider it more of a smirk. Hopefully the smiles are just around the corner! She's still getting up twice during the night to belly up to the bar. Of course whenever she's ready to take the plunge and sleep through the night, I'm more than willing to allow it! :)

Grace continues to do amazingly well as a big sister! She's always up for helping me get her paci, diaper, burp cloth, etc. She still thinks Anna is "so cute" and wants to "see her" as soon as I bring her in the room! I'm going to remind them how cute they were and how much they loved each other when they're teenagers and fighting over who is wearing the other one's clothes!! :)

We're still trying to get our routine established. Grace starts preschool next week so we'll have one down pat in the next couple of weeks.......I hope! I'm finding that the smallest tasks are now big accomplishments when you have a toddler and a newborn. Today I took both girls to the park for the first time. We had a great time with only one minor meltdown when a swing wasn't available the minute we arrived! Anna slept most of the time (thank you Lord) and Grace didn't pitch a fit when I told her it was time to go home! By the time we got home, I felt like I could accomplish anything! HAHA! I was definitely flying high and having a "super mom" moment.......I wonder how long it will last!! :)

Just Had To Share.......

Those of you who know me well know that I am the type of person who likes to have a place for everything. I don't need to keep my house in perfect order during the day. BUT at the end of the day, I like for all the toys, clothes, shoes, etc. to find their "home." Is my house perfect? Absolutely not. However, I like to have things picked up and in place so I know I don't have to greet a mess in the morning. Having said that, a couple weeks ago I was beat and couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I looked around and saw this!! Da-da-da!! The pictures really don't do it justice. All I could do was start hysterically laughing in my semi-psychotic, sleep-deprived state!! Sleep - 1, mess - 0. Yep, sleep won that night!!

Anna, Meet Your Family!

I am so thankful that so many family members were able to come and visit during Anna's first couple weeks of life! It is such a special time that flies by way to quickly.

I had SO much help for three weeks after Anna was born. Nana stayed with us for the first week. Grandma took the second shift the following week. And Matt took the third week off to stay home with us. Meals were cooked, my house was cleaned, and Grace was entertained. I can't tell you how appreciative I am for all the support you 3 gave me! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

I also wanted to thank everyone for thinking of Grace during this transition. She got spoiled rotten from all of our visitors! As a matter of fact, it turned into Christmas in July at our house. Every time someone showed, Grace would say, "Ok close your eyes for my surprise!" Oh boy!!!

Thank you again to everyone who came to visit and stay with us! You all were a tremendous help and I could not have done it without you!!!


Here are just a few pictures we captured. Enjoy!!

Two Week Check-Up

Anna Kate had her two week check-up on Tuesday, and I am happy to report that she is growing like a weed! She is already up to a whopping 8lbs, 7oz and is 20 1/4in long!! Matt and I had noticed that she was putting a little meat on her bones and it turns out she is a better eater than I thought! I also got the official OK to let her sleep through the night.......AHHHHHHHH!! That hasn't happened yet, but she's only getting up twice a night so you won't hear me complaining!
AK does have an umbilical hernia which is apparently nothing to be too concerned about. It simply means that her abdominal walls haven't completely closed and her bellybutton bulges out a bit. Our pediatrician assured assured me that it is very common and should correct itself by the time she turns two.
I also wanted to share how Grace is doing with this new adjustment. She has taken her new role of big sister very seriously and has done really well with the transition. Any time Anna starts to cry, Grace gets her pacifier and tries to "shush" her until she stops crying. She knows not to touch the nipple part of the paci and actually does a pretty good job calming Anna down. We've only noticed a time or two when Grace is trying to get some attention while we're playing with Anna. She doesn't even show any signs of jealousy while I'm feeding Anna. So far (yes I'm knocking on wood) we haven't experienced any of those horror stories we heard about that involve toddler jealousy! She continues to say, "Awwww she's so cute" at least a dozen times a day and always asks to see her when I bring her into the room. I can't wait to see how their relationship grows. Growing up with two sisters was so much fun and I only hope that Grace and Anna have as much fun together as I did with my sisters!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

IT'S

A

GIRL!!!!

We are thrilled and excited to announce the arrival of Anna Kate Gentry!! Here is the story of how you came into this world.................

Matt was on his annual golf trip from July 8th - 11th. During that time, Nana stayed with us just in case you wanted to come a little early. I found out on Friday, July 9th that I was dilated to 2-3cm. and 80% effaced. Needless to say, I thought you were definitely in a hurry to get here. I was certain that I would wake up to contractions or a broken bag of water that night. But nothing happened! Nana even decided to extend her stay in Knoxville since she was nervous you would be born before she could make it back to TN. After a few days passed and you still weren't here, I decided that I would walk, walk, and walk some more to get things moving. I felt MANY contractions and started seeing other signs that you just might be on your way. On Sunday, July 18th I called my doctor and they suggested I come to the hospital because it sounded like I was in labor. YAY!! We were SO excited!! We got to the hospital and about an hour later I got the dreaded news.........false alarm! I wasn't in labor!!! They sent us home sulking and a little disappointed. I was still excited because I knew I was going to FINALLY meet you on Wednesday since we were scheduled for an induction.


Our instructions were to call on Wednesday morning at 6am to make sure there was a room available. No problem! I could wait until Wendesday since that would give me time to get the house cleaned one more time and for the rest of our family to get to TN.

Fast forward to Tuesday night. Papa and Grandma both arrived and we were anxiously waiting on Wednesday morning!! Sleep was hard to come by but adrenaline had fully kicked in! We all got up and showered........and then I made the call. This is what I heard, "I'm sorry Miss Gentry, but we're full!" WHAT!!! You're kidding, right?!? Then I heard, "But we should be able to get you in by around 10am today." HOORAY!!! We waited A LONG 4 hours only to hear that we would DEFINITELY be called in by noon. No problem!! And then we got the call at 1pm telling us we would have to wait until the next day! BUMMER!!

So we all woke up and did it all over again on the 22nd. I made the call again and we got the okay to come on in to the hospital!! YAY!! It is such a surreal experience to know that we were leaving the house with one child and would have 2 in a few short hours!! We got settled in our room and the doctor came in to break my water at 8:22am. By that point, I was dilated to 4cm. We started making bets trying to guess your sex, weight, height, etc. My guess was you a boy weighing right around 7lbs. I had my epidural by 10:06am and was ready for a quick nap. I sent your Daddy and Nana off to get some lunch around 11:30am so I could get some shut-eye. They came back 20min later with the nurse following behind them. She checked me only to discover that I was fully dilated and it was time to push!!! WOW!! Again, that was a very surreal moment knowing that I was FINALLY about to meet this little person who I've carried for 9 months!!! Are you a boy or a girl? Are you going to be healthy? Are you going to look like your sister? Are you going to have a head full of hair? Would your feet look like mine or your Daddy's? SO many questions were about to be answered!

The nurse started moving pretty quickly so I knew it wasn't going to take long.......and that is the understatement of the day! After pushing through 1 contraction, I started hysterically laughing because the doctor could already see your head! And after the second contraction, you were born!! There you were.......a beautiful, baby girl!! You were pink, screaming, and just perfect!! You had a head semi-full of dark hair, LONG fingers and toes, and looked a lot like Grace. It was such an amazing experience! It's hard to put into words the emotions that a mother feels when she sees her baby for the first time. It is a love like no other!! You had many visitors that day including Nana, Papa, Grandma, and, of course, Grace! She was SO excited to meet her baby sister and kept saying, "Awwww look at her!" SO CUTE!!

I see how fast you are already changing and I am trying to soak up every moment of your newborn days since they fly by so quickly. You are a gift from God, and I thank Him every day that He chose me to be your mother! I pray that I can be your source of guidance, support, love, and be the best mother that you deserve to have. I love you baby girl now and always!!

Anna Kate Gentry

July 22nd, 2010

Born at 12:58pm

7lbs, 8oz

20in