Thanksgiving!

I don't know where the time goes. I can't believe that it has already been a week since Thanksgiving, and  that Quinn is 3 weeks old now! We were so fortunate that my family was able to come up to celebrate Thanksgiving in Charleston this year. Quinn got to meet her cousin, Reese.





Reese just loved to give baby Quinn kisses! She was so sweet with her. She kept pointing to Quinn and saying "baby." 

meeting our Uncle Jay

lots of loving and spoiling from Nana

Got to spend an entire week with our Bigmama!

                                                         Uncle Taylor is so good with Quinn:)

Our little Rebel's was all ready for her first Egg Bowl. We have a house divided with Taylor, Jessica, and Reese being State fans.

                                                      Obviously, State won this year.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving! I can't believe that we will be back home in just 2 weeks for Christmas. We had a few milestones to mention over the past couple of weeks. Our umbilical cord fell off on the 22nd, and Quinn got to enjoy a bath in her Puj tub last weekend. She also had her first bottle on the 23rd. She did great! It even allowed Mama to be able to go downtown and get her hair cut while Daddy and Bigmama watched Quinn. As of last Sunday (27th) the newborn footed onesies are too small for our girl. She can't stretch her legs in them. She has now upgraded to the 0-3 months.  We had our 2 week check up on the 29th. She has gained an entire pound, and she weighs 7 pounds 15 ounces! So thankful for our growing healthy baby girl!



First Week at Home as a Family of Three!

Dressed and ready to go home!

After a couple of nights in the hospital, it was time to go home this past Saturday! After spending 3 full days in the hospital,  this new mama was ready to get outside for a little while too:)  We dressed her up in her sweet outfit from Aunt Gigi, and she looked adorable. As you can see, I have come around to liking pink now. My family went back to Mississippi on Saturday only because they are coming right back up in 10 days for Thanksgiving, and I cannot wait for them to come back! Quinn gets to meet her cousin, Reese, next week! They were awesome and stocked our freezer with a ton of frozen meals Mom made for us. John's parents were able to stay until Monday morning, and it was great to have those extra days to really get to visit with them! Her Cat was a big help when mama wanted to take a nice hot shower.

I know she looks really content and happy in this picture, but Quinn did not like the car seat at all! She cried the whole way out of the hospital to the car. After a couple of minutes of riding, she calmed down, and she was fine. Once we got home, it was time to meet our brothers.

As you can see, our weimaraner, Ace, is obsessed with her! He just sits and stares at her. He gets so upset when she starts to cry. I literally have to fight with him to get to her because he tries to get to her first. Eddie is not really interested in her. He is just a little jealous of the attention she is getting. I'm just so glad that they are reacting so well to the new addition. I was a little worried, but everything is going great!

At the risk of jinxing it, she is doing really well with her feedings. She is eating around every 3hrs, and she definitely lets us know when she is hungry. We had our first pediatrician's appointment this past Tuesday. Her discharge weight was 6 pounds 13 ounces, and she weighed in at 6 pounds 12 ounces that day. Since it could have been the difference in scales from the hospital to the clinic, we went back on Thursday for a weight check. Our munchkin gained 3 ounces in 2 days! Definitely have a good little eater on our hands.

She isn't a big fan of swaddling unless I leave her hands out to go up by her face. She has to has to have her hands up by her face to sleep. She is really alert and awake after eating during the day. I love seeing those pretty big eyes!





We've have such great friends here in Charleston, and a few were able to come over this week to meet Quinn.

Loved meeting Erin and Chris

Snuggling with Josh

Going for our first stroll with Alisha and Celia!

I cannot believe that she is already 1 week old! I know that we are probably just running on adrenaline, but this past week has been full of wonderful new experiences. I am so glad that John has all week off of school next week so that we get a few days of just us at the house. I know it has been tough on him having to leave every morning. In case I slack again for a few days, I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day next week!!

Meet Quinn O'Neil Stone!



Born: 11/10/11 @ 1:23
Weight: 7 pounds 6 ounces
Height: 19 3/4



I still am in awe of the fact that our little munchkin is finally here with us!! We were so blessed to have a smooth labor and delivery. I believe the total labor time was 5 hrs and 23 minutes. I have to definitely thank the Mt. Pleasant hospital staff for being so amazing to us the whole time we were there! We could not have asked for better care!

The night before..last pregnancy picture

Dr. Bradford and Quinn




Love our thumb!



Throughout the pregnancy, we assumed that it would most likely be just us in the hospital when she arrived, but since we ended up scheduling the induction, our families were able to be there with us! It would not have been the same if they hadn't been there to celebrate this special day!

Nana and Cat

Nana and Paw Paw

With Aunt Jessica

38 weeks!

38 wks

Less than 2 weeks to our due date!! A few highlights from the week:

• Had our appointment this past Friday. No weight gain over the week. Which puts me at a total of 30 pounds for the pregnancy.
• My blood pressure is still fine. I was a little worried after I had a pair of beautiful cankles this past Wednesday and Thursday, but they were most likely due to me just being on my feet so much those days. 
• Only 1 1/2 cm dilated..so looks like she may still be nice and comfy right now.
• The joints in my hands are still pretty sore during the day.
• I am so fortunate to still be sleeping pretty well at night. She did think that 4am was time to wake up a couple of nights, but, luckily, she adjusted her schedule:)

 My sweet office gave a shower for Quinn on Friday too. It was so much fun, and she got so many sweet gifts!! We have also made it past the wedding that Jessica was in last night. We have both been worried that Quinn was going to want to come this weekend while she was in the wedding. Now her showers are done, Jessica is finished with the wedding, and I've gotten my pedicure. We are all set to meet Miss Quinn!!

37 Weeks and Full Term!!

We are officially 37 weeks and 3 days pregnant! She is now considered full term. My appointment went well this past Friday. I'm still only 1cm dilated and off bed rest. Now we just get to wait on our sweet girl to let us know when she is ready to come. I enjoyed being able to leave the house! We went to the pumpkin patch at Legare Farms. It was fun, but I can't wait to go back next year with Quinn. Then we went down to Folly to see a few friends before ending the night at this new coffee/wine bar to hear our friend Caxton play the guitar and sing.

It was great being back at work today. I work with the sweetest ladies!! It was also so nice to get the few last minute details together that I needed to do. That way I can leave work for 12 weeks with no worries! I told Jess that I was going to treat every day as if it could be my last so that I leave the office with everything together. She was quick to point out the fact that it might make the week longer when I think every day could be my last, but I definitely have enough to do at work to keep myself busy for the next few days.  The Braxton Hicks contractions are so much stronger lately. It is amazing at how hard my stomach can gets! I can also feel so much more pressure on my pelvic bone.  I can't wait for my appointment on Friday. I just want to know if we are any closer to meeting out sweet girl!

My Sweet Sister

While I'm waiting for my chocolate chip cookies to finish baking in the oven, I'm looking over my blog thinking about how blessed we are to have such wonderful family members and friends that have already helped us out even more than we could ever have imagined! To all of my mommy friends, Mom, and sister-in-law, I can't thank you enough for all of your advice and gifts so far, and I know that I will definitely be calling with a million questions in the future. However, I realize that I haven't really talked about how much I appreciate everything my sweet sister has done for me during these past few months. The biggest was my sweet surprise present that I got when I was home for Labor Day weekend. She surprised me with a 4D ultrasound appointment!! I thought Mom, Jess and I were going to this large baby consignment sale that was going on that weekend. When I asked why we passed our turn, they screamed surprise to let me know we were going to Tupelo for a 4D ultrasound. Being the hormonal pregnant woman that I was/am, I cried like a baby. This of course got my mom crying too. They were happy tears! I can't describe to you how amazing it was to see our sweet little girl on that screen:

John was able to watch a live feed from home while we watched at the clinic. She wouldn't take her hands away from her cheek. This was the best picture we were able to get. We were able to see her suck on her hand, and she opened her eyes. She definitely liked being curled up. We did get some good pictures of her sweet chunky cheeks. She got a little aggrivated with us bothering her, and we got to see her sweet double chin. I can't wait to hold this precious angel!!
It was such a thougthful gift. Jess has been my rock through this whole pregnancy. She is always there to answer my ridiculous questions, and she listens when I'm probably providing a little too much information on what's going on with me;)  She's such a wonderful mother, and I am so excited that we get to go through the wonderful experience of being mothers/parents together!

9 Months = Bed Rest

9 Months!

As of last Friday, we are now 36 weeks/9 months pregnant! Last Thursday morning I woke up around 5:30am with some back pains that were coming and going. I ended up being sent to Labor and Delivery in the hospital to be monitored for around 4-5 hours that afternoon. Turns out that I was having some contractions, but it wasn't pre-term labor. They labeled it an irritable uterus:) Since this can lead to labor, my doctor put me on bed rest until this Friday to get me to 37 weeks (full-term). I have an appointment tomorrow. As long as everything seems fine, I will be cleared to go back to work on Monday.

Going into the hospital last week made reality set in that she will be here any day now! I think that I have been coasting with work and staying busy to not get too anxious about her arrival, but after sitting at home all week thinking about it, I'm SO ready!  I packed the last minute essentials into my luggage before our appointment (just in case), but I didn't get to straighten up around the house before going to the hospital. All I could think about was that my house wasn't ready for guests..lol. When John said that he would run by the house, if we ended up staying the night, to check on the dogs, I actually asked him if he would sweep before coming back!  Since we were able to come home, all the cleaning has now been taken care of by my sweet husband. I think somehow my nesting moved over to him. He was awesome with cleaning, organizing, and painting our guest bedroom this past weekend. I went through my lists of last minute details, and we are now ready! It's all up to Miss Quinn now.

9 Month updates:

• She still gets the hiccups every day. The doctor said this is actually a good sign.
• She is a growing girl. Every day I'm amazed at how much tighter my clothes have gotten.
• Early morning and late at night are her most active times of the day. She's pretty sleepy the rest of the day. She sits mostly on the right side of my belly. I can rub my hand over what must be her little booty and back sticking up on that side.
• I love watching her move and stretch across my belly. I'm really trying to take it all in as much as I can. I don't know if I'll be one of those women that miss their belly or not, but I definitely want to enjoy every moment.
• She is lower than she has been. I can rest my arm between my chest and stomach now, and I feel that I am waddling a lot more.
• My good eating habits are out the window. I feel that I have been good most of the pregnancy with trying to eating healthy and not indulge too much in sweets and junk food. However, my sweet cravings are a lot stronger, and I think I'm cheating almost daily with having some type of dessert. Also a big fan of cheddar and sour cream chips. Survival mode has kicked in I think.
• I've made it this far with only 2 meltdowns. I at least knew I was not being rational.
• My favorite shirt is this extra large Shuqualak Lumber Co. shirt that was left at my house. I have no idea who wore the shirt. It is huge but comfy!!
• My favorite times during the day are the long hot showers I take, and my naps. I like to read and nap in the nursery just because it is peaceful to me.

The medicine they have given me has kept the back pains away. It makes me a little sleepy I think...at this point I feel that I've been sleepy my entire third trimester:) Our appointment is tomorrow, and I'm anxious to hear what the doctor says. I'll keep you posted!!

A Charleston Shower

My sweet friends, Erin and Alisha, put together a perfect Charleston shower this past weekend! It was so much fun to get together with my girlfriends.

The decorations were adorable! Loved the party favors with her full name on them!

                                        Of course, no shower is complete without the belly picture!!
I'm so fortunate to have so many good friends here in Charleston, and  a lot of them with really good advice for this mama-to-be:) Thanks again ladies!

Quinn's Place:)

Thanks to my wonderful Mom and Sister, the nursery looks like a room ready for a baby instead of storage space:)

The car seat will go in our car in a couple of weeks, and my bag is all packed and ready for the hospital.

So excited that the spare bed fit in the room so well! Now we still have space for our family to stay, and I'm sure I'll be laying there a few nights myself.

Her memory board. I'm going to put baby pictures of all the immediate family around her baby picture in the center. I think it will be cute to see who she looks like the most:) Her sonogram is there for now, but we will have a real one soon!!



I love the initials on her laundry basket! The star and lamp beside her crib make the room so sweet and cozy when they are on at night.  We still need to put up her new blinds, and we are going to add my great-grandmother's rocking chair. But I'm so excited to have the room together. Her closet and drawers are organized and full of all her adorable, washed clothes. It's official, my daughter has more clothes than I do!! It's also crazy to think that she will have outgrown them around 6 months after she is born.

I'm so blessed to still be having a wonderful pregnancy. I'm so excited to have her here, but  I can wait the 6 weeks. I think I just need to get used to the wide eyed stairs from people that think I'm about to drop a baby anytime when I'm out. There was a sweetheart of a man that thought it was necessary to let me know that I wasn't just pregnant, but I was super pregnant:)..bless his heart. It didn't help his case that I had just found out that I had gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks at my doctor's appointment! Fortunately, my doctor was perfectly fine with the weight gain. I think it was me that was the most shocked. After feeling like a whale all day, I walked in my office grumpy and exhausted. As soon as I walked into the office, I was greated by one of my coworkers who lit up and commented on how cute and adorable I was pregnant. It really made my day. God definitely knew that I needed a little pick me up:) 



8 Months....and Counting!!

We are 8 months and one week pregnant! Only 7 weeks to go until our due date!! Over all, I cannot complain about anything. I have been very blessed to have a good pregnancy.
This month:

• I can actually notice my stomach growing weekly. I tried to put on a shirt that I wore 2 weeks ago, and it was too small. I've now added finding clothes that fit to my morning routine.
• I'm still sleeping well for the most part. I've added an extra pillow as a wedge that helps a lot. My arms go to sleep often at night, but it usually goes away after I roll over to my other side.
• I'm not wearing my wedding rings anymore:( I'm not really swelling that much, but I don't want to have to get to the point where I can't take them off.
• Weight gain (as of last week) is around 22 pounds.
• I'm tired. It is crazy how it just hits you. I LOVE taking naps. I pretty much can sleep anytime during the day. I'll come home from work and sleep for an hour and still go to sleep between 9:30 and 10
• I have no shame taking the comfy chairs at work meetings, being able to go first when getting food, or saying yes to the nice ladies that let me go in front of them in the restroom line:)
• She has the hiccups...A LOT. I just noticed it for the first time around 2-3 weeks ago, but now I feel like she gets them almost daily.
• Her movement is so much stronger now. Instead of kicks, I get waves across my belly.
• I'm pretty sure my feet have grown. I only wear my Toms now.

I cannot wait for her to be here! After Mom and Jessica helped get the nursery together last weekend, I feel so much more prepared. Our bags are packed. We just have a few last minute details to do, and then it is just waiting. I'm so thankful to have work as a distraction. I think October would be the longest month of my life otherwise.

Playing a little Catch Up

This last month has gone by so quickly! I can't believe that our little girl will be here in just 7 weeks! We have had a busy past few weekends with showers and getting everything organized for her arrival. I went to Macon on Labor Day weekend for a couple of showers hosted by a few of my closest friends and family. They were all at my parent's house. Thank you Mom! We had a wonderful time, and everything was perfect.

My Ole Miss ladies (minus Lauren and Laura D.- missed you!) came in for a nice, small shower just the 5 of us on Saturday. It was perfect! It was so nice to catch up with them. We all live in 6 different states now, and we don't get to see each other that often, but when we do, it is like no time has passed. My friend, Shannon, brought her adorable little boy, Austin. He is the best baby! I'm sure I will be calling her for lots of advice here in a few weeks.

On Sunday, my sister and a few of my high school girlfriends hosted a shower. It was so nice to see so many people from Macon. A lot of times when we come home, we are only in town for a few days, and we really don't get to visit like we would like.




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Monkeys





As you can see, I had plenty of help opening my gifts:) Love the picture of my Monkeys. Between the 5 of us, we have 4 little girls with Quinn on the way. I hope they are just as close as we are when they get older.

So excited to see Jennifer and Laine. It was so sweet of you two to make the drive for the shower.



 I have to brag on Mom's baby stroller made out of a watermelon. It's so cute. She is so talented, and Jessica made the flowers that were on the tables. She obviously got the creative gene from Mom that I missed;)

Quinn got so many nice gifts. I'm so thankful that Mom and Jessica were able to come up to Charleston 2 weeks after the shower to help me organize the gifts in the nursery...pictures coming soon!

Our "Sweet" Boys

Since I am officially off today due to Hurricane Irene, I thought I would take the time to get in a little blogging/progging. I know I promised this next blog would be about our dogs, but I have to add a few progging updates first.  I think I'm losing my mind! This pregnant brain situation seems to be escalating rapidly. I now forget conversations that I have had, and I forget my thought mid-sentence at times. My latest was to walk around a school with one earring on yesterday. I saw around 5 teachers before the sweet nurse (bless her heart:) decided to let me know. As most of you know, I like large earrings. I had taken one off while talking on my cell phone in the car, and I forgot to put it back on before going into the school. I know this is a little thing.  I can't really say that I wouldn't have done it without being pregnant, but I think moments like these are becoming more common. I have now resorted to taking a notebook with me everywhere I go.

I also really think it is funny how you get used to feeling a baby kick inside your stomach. I remember asking my sister how it felt when Reese would move, and she responsed, "oh you know, it just feels like someone is poking and moving in your belly." Of course, I had no idea what that felt like, and it all seemed a little too sci-fi for me. How could you possibly get used to something kicking and moving inside of you?!  Well..I now know you do. It has started to feel so natural and just part of my every day routine. I know that I'm going to miss feeling her move after she is born. 

Ok..on to the dogs. We have 2 large babies. Eddie is our chocolate lab weighing in around 93 pounds, and he will be 6 this December. Ace is our blue weimaraner weighing in at a healthy 95 pounds, and he will be 5 in November.  Here are a few pics:

Yes, they get half of the couch.

Excuse the look..first thing in the morning:)

Eddie is John's baby. He was around 6 months old when we started dating. Ace is my baby, and I don't deny that I have spoiled him rotten! Poor thing, he is in for a rude awakening when Quinn comes.  I think they are going to adjust well to her arrival. I like to picture Eddie (our protector) sleeping under her crib to guard her during the night.

Eddie (aka Big Tuna):

 I am the alpha dog in the house. Luckily for Ace, he is fine with this arrangement. My favorite things to do are swim and fetch. I will chase a ball until I physically cannot move or breathe. My Mom and Dad have to watch me to make sure that I don't get too exhausted while playing. I have trouble catching my breath afterwards.
I love to play with my brother at times. Most of the time he drives me crazy with biting my back legs and jumping on top of me to play. He doesn't always get the hint that I've had enough, and then I have to get a little rough with him so he will leave me alone. I understand that my role is to protect my family. This can mean that I have to bark at any sound or movement outside of our house. Sometimes just barking once isn't enough, I need to follow the dog or walkers around the house and bark at them through every window I can.

I think that I'm a 10 pound lap dog, and I have no idea why Mom and Dad don't like for me to be in their lap all the time. I LOVE having my ears rubbed. The water in the bowl is ok for Ace, but I definitely prefer to drink out of the sink or bath tub. Ace really doesn't understand how to do this. Which is fine with me.

I absolutely hate getting my feet wet when it rains. I will stay inside until I cannot stand it any longer before going outside to go the restroom. This can mean that I wake Mom and Dad up around 2am to go outside. I'm so thankful they are so understanding about this. They like to try to make me go outside earlier on those days by forcing me to go on the porch. I know they are just trying to get me to face my fears, but I'm just not ready  for that. That's about it for me lately.

Ace: (aka. Ace Monkey):

I am the baby. I almost have my parents trained on what I need, but sometimes I have to yell at them. They don't always seem to understand, so then I need to show them what I want. For example: when I'm hungry, I try to let them know by picking my bowl up and throwing it across the kitchen. If this doesn't work, I whine. Then I resort to actually going into the room they are in to make sure they have heard me.  Eddie let me eat his food for awhile, and I got up to around 120 pounds. This was heaven to me. Then Mom got worried after the vet talked to her. After that, she tried to take me on walks, go to the dog park, or get me to fetch, but I quickly told her I hated those things. She would try to show me how much fun walking was, but I showed her by laying in the road after around 10 minutes. I would only move if she promised we were going back to the house. Fat and happy is the life for me, but then she limited my food. I do feel better now, and I have a lot more energy. I still get extra food every now and then. Sometimes Dad doesn't know Mom has already fed me, and I go and stand by my bowl to get extra food. They seem to eat everytime they are in the kitchen..why can't I??

   My favorite place to sleep is right in bed next to my parents, but they only let me do this if I beg really early on a weekend morning. My mom is the best, and I usually only want her to get up with me in the mornings. I just go to her side of the bed and whine a little or poke her. When I get really excited in the house, I like to run suicides across our living and dining room. Everyone laughs when I do it. It never seems to get old. I like to be under blankets and tables when I sleep..just makes me feel safer. I sleep on my back with all 4 paws stretched out.

I LOVE playing with my brother. He doesn't always want to play at first, but I'm pretty persistent. He growls at me, and he sometimes bites my nose or ear, but I know he is just playing with me. He always comes around. 

I think every new person should be greeted by me jumping on them and kissing them. It's just for the first 5 minutes you are here. So come and visit anytime!