All Smiles

Over the past month, we have seen more changes in Halyn than ever. In October on her 14 week birthday she rolled over for the first time from her tummy to her back. She first made it half way and paused for a second on her side, then pointed her little toes and flipped the rest of the way. It was such a cute moment! She focuses on things all around the room now, rather than directly in front of her. She still has all the hair she was born with and more is coming in. It has changed from dark brown to light brown. We call her long hair in the back her "party". All business in the front still. ;). Her 4 month appointment was last week. She is not officially 4 months until Friday though. Her appointment went great. She weighed in at 13 lbs 9oz. She is developmentally right on track. We really like our doctor too. If you need a recommendation of a great pediatrician on the west side let me know! Three different people referred us to him and I can see why. He said any time we are ready we can start her on the rice cereal and then start introducing solid foods after that. All she has ever had so far is breastmilk. I have a few girlfriends that have made their own babyfood for their wee ones and it seems pretty simple. I am so excited for this stage!

Halyn is very curious about the world around her. She likes riding in the car and it puts her to sleep in about 2 minutes. Her coordination has improved enough to where she can reach out and grab her blanket or rattle and bring it to her mouth with both hands. She loves to be held and cuddled. She also likes to lay on her pink activity mat and watch her baby einstein dvds. She loves those videos for the puppets, music, and bright colors. Now that we have our Christmas decorations up we have spent a lot of time showing her the lights and ornaments on our tree. When she was about 3 months we started putting her in her crib in her own room to sleep at night. She loves her crib. I think we were waking her up sooner than she normally would when she was in our room. She is an awesome sleeper!! Since she was about 5-6 weeks she started sleeping around 8-10 hours at night, waking up once during that time to eat then falling right back to sleep. During the day she takes 3-4 naps and catnaps, sometimes in her crib and sometimes in her swing... ok mostly in my arms!! :) :)

Her facial expressions are adorable. Her little personality is developing and coming out more and more. The holidays so far have been so much fun. It is true that you get more involved in the holidays when you have kids. I'm sure that will be even more true as she gets older. Jason and I are excited for Christmas this year- because its Halyn's first Christmas but also because we are back in Indiana for the first time in 4 years for winter. Not that I didn't like spending the holidays at the pool, but it will feel more like Christmas now with the colder weather! :)

1st Halloween

We had so much fun on Halyn's first Halloween. She wore her pumpkin costume and we stayed at home to pass out candy. This was the first year we have lived somewhere where we had trick-or-treaters. We tried to keep track and counted over 70. The costumes were so cute! Jason had to run out and get more candy by 7:30. Later he went to see Paranormal Activity 3 with friends... I was happy to stay home and skip that one. I can barely watch those previews. Here is a video from Halyn's first Halloween:


Love her so much!!

12 Weeks

Our little Haly Bean will officially be 3 months old next week on Nov 2. Its been the best three months we could have imagined. Im going to try to start blogging from my phone more so I will be more up to date on my posts.

For her very first Halloween she is going to be a pumpkin. I took some pictures of her yesterday in her costume. It is so cute! Im really looking forward to staying around the house on Monday and passing out candy to trick or treaters. We havent ever passed out candy before. Our neighborhood is pretty big so hopefully we will see some cute costumes! I did consider taking Halyn around in her stroller so Jason and I could eat her candy though haha. Who doesnt like to see a baby all dressed up ;). Last weekend we went to Nashville, IN and walked around all the little shops and ate lunch. We also took Halyn to her very first haunted house- at the children's museum. Jason and I always went every year before we moved to AZ. It was so much fun going back with our own little one!!

Halyn loves to cuddle. She is still doing great sleeping at night. She goes to sleep around 11 when we do and sleeps between 5-7 hrs straight. After she eats and gets a new "diap" she goes back to sleep for another few hours. She is more talkative than ever. She is sitting up a few minutes each day in her bumbo seat and gaining good head control. We always put a rattle or toy of some sort in her lap and she is starting to grasp and shake them around now. She still loves watching her baby einstein videos too.  We love taking her places!!  Just this past week we started putting her in her size 3-6 clothes. Im so excited to see her in all these new adorable outfits!!

Every Monday since she was about 5 weeks old we have been going to new mommy support group classes at the hospital by our house. It has been awesome meeting so many people that live close to us, especially since we just moved to this side of town. Last week we had our first "play date" with a baby friend from class :). So much fun!

Happy Halloween everyone!

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Baby Talk

Halyn's 8 week appointment was last Friday and went great. She now weighs 11 lbs 4 oz and is 21 3/4 inches long. Healthy, growing baby! She is definitely changing quickly. She has started being awake for much longer periods during the day. We put her in her bumbo seat for the first time. Not sure how comfortable she was in there, but she stayed for a few minutes holding her head up! She has been holding her rattles for longer periods of time and grasping for objects like her blankets (or my hair). We put her on her activity mat a lot during the day and she moves her head side to side but no rolling over just yet. She is still really into her baby einsteins dvds. She actually laughs out loud at those puppets. A few weeks ago Jason and I went to a huge baby items sale in Zionsville (Whale of a Sale- definitely recommend going for anyone looking for baby stuff! You can look it up online, theres one in the fall and one in the spring) and got 6 more baby einsteins dvds for only $1 each. She is still doing really well sleeping at night. Since she was 5 weeks she has been sleeping anywhere from 5-7 hours straight- AMAZING for me!!! :) :) :) and she is good at putting herself back to sleep on her own after she eats. I can lay her in her bassinet wide awake and shut the lights out and she falls right to sleep (usually...except last night haha).

Halyn has officially gone out to dinner for the first time with us. We took her for some chips and salsa and margaritas at On the Border! J/k! She did really good though. She was awake most of the time looking around. We've also taken her on a trip to the greenwood mall and taken several walks around our neighborhood with Dakota and Heinz. Last Sunday we went to a new church near our home and I think she was feelin the music, it put her right to sleep. She is still wearing size 0-3 clothes, although she did have a little muffin top in one of her pairs of pants the other day! Maybe they shrunk in the dryer :).



We had a party at our house a few weeks ago for Jason's 30TH BIRTHDAY!!! It was such a blast. Even Halyn stayed up with all of us til after midnight playing catch phrase!!



8 Week Pictures:



First time in Bumbo Seat:


First time laying in crib: (yes I realize the bumpers were on :) )

The "Kids"

The "kids" = one sleepy baby and two bichons


Jason reading to Halyn the other night. I especially love reading her the Erik Carle books. They are so great for infants with all the colors and patterns. Heinz gathers around for story time too. :)

Bath Time

Ever since Bambina's umbilical cord has fallen off, we have been able to give her a bath in her pink bath chair in the tub. She likes this SO much better than the sponge baths we were giving her before. I think she got too cold and it made her mad. She is so cute in the bath now! We give her about 3 baths a week at night before bed. We aim to get her in bed around 10:30 pm each night. Usually she wakes up around 2:30- 3am to eat.... but last night.....she slept for over 6 hrs straight!! I woke up a little panicked at 4:45am when Jason's alarm went off for work. She may be going through a growth spurt and sleeping more. Tomorrow she will be 6 weeks old. In the past week she has taken a liking to her swing. She has been swinging in the kitchen by the table when we eat and is pretty happy there. Her favorite place to sit is in her pink butterfly bouncer that we keep upstairs in our room. She loves being cuddled and holding hands. She is almost out of all of her newborn clothes and now wearing size 0-3. Here are some pictures and a video from a bath last week:

Rattle

Halyn is now 5 1/2 weeks old. I'm guessing she weighs at least 10 lbs by now. (At her 4 week appt she was 9 lbs 14 oz.) She has been doing really good at night. A few nights ago she slept 4 hours straight and last night she slept 4 1/2 hours straight. The older she gets, the more capable she is of sleeping a little longer without waking up to eat. I had no idea that "sleeping through the night" for a baby 3 months and older was 5 hours. If you would have asked me a few months ago if 5 hours was a lot of sleep I would have said definitely NOT but now it sounds amazing! I actually enjoy being up with her at night and in the early hours of the morning when her little eyes are as wide as can be just looking around. Today we went to our library for the first time with Halyn and checked out several picture books and a few baby einsteins dvds. She loves to be read to at night.

We were playing with Halyn before bed the other night and I got out one of her rattles for the first time. She held onto it with a pretty tight grip. Here is a video from September 9, 2011:



This is a closer picture of the outfit she had on. "If I don't sleep, nobody sleeps" New York City. So funny and so true!! (Thanks Christine!!)

Videos from end of August

First Walk

We put Halyn in her stroller for the first time and took a lap around the neighborhood last Saturday when she was about 3 1/2 weeks old. She looks so tiny in that big stroller!


Its amazing how much she has changed in just a month. She loves holding your hand and she smiles a lot. She is gaining more head control and when on her tummy she can turn her head side to side. The past week she has been reaching her hands out to touch our faces and grab onto my hair. She is the sweetest little thing. Her 4 week doctor's appointment was Tuesday. She now weighs 9 lbs 14 oz and is 22 inches long. She has started to make her own little schedule and is doing really well sleeping through the night. She is such a great little baby!

Baby Einstein

My friend Melissa in Arizona copied several of the Baby Einstein DVDs for us as a baby gift. I don't know at what age babies usually start watching them but thought I would play it and see. It was my first time watching one too. I must say they are so weird but for some reason you can't stop watching it haha.


Halyn 3 Weeks Old:

Our Hospital Stay

The three days we spent with Halyn in the hospital were some of my favorite days that we have had with her so far. Jason had about a week total off of work and was able to stay with us at the hospital. It was so nice being able to just focus on holding Halyn and getting to know her while the nurses took care of everything else. She slept in our room with us in a little raised bassinet with clear windows. We didn't get much sleep the first night. She wasn't interested in sleeping in her bassinet and just wanted to be held. I was so afraid I was going to fall asleep while holding her so I basically stared at her all night long wide-eyed while she slept in my arms. She did awesome in her bassinet the second night in the hospital, Jason and I got over 6 hrs of sleep. We gave Halyn her first bath together and dressed her up in the adorable newborn outfits we brought to the hospital. After a few days we couldn't wait to be discharged to take her home!!

One Day Old: 8/3/11

Bambina has arrived!

August 2, 2011

Halyn Eve Skinner: 8 lbs 4 oz, 21 inches, born at 9:23am

An ultrasound late in my pregnancy showed that Halyn was not in the head down position, instead she was closer to the breech position. So we knew in advance that we would likely have a c-section if she did not turn. Jason and I went in for our c-section the morning of August 2nd (at 39 weeks pregnant). We left early to drop the dogs off at my Mom's house and got checked in to the hospital at 6am. I was not in active labor, although I was quite a bit dilated. When I think of delivering a baby, I imagine rushing to the hospital in a panic after your water breaks. It was so different having a c-section and being so organized about having our baby. I never felt one contraction, not even a braxton hicks contraction.

Jason was able to be with me almost the whole time. After I was prepared for surgery, the nurse brought him back in so he could be there for the c-section. I thought I would be nervous but I was actually pretty calm. (Turns out I was more nervous to have my staples removed at the docs office the following week then to do the actual surgery haha). I was wide awake the whole time and Jason actually video taped the surgery. I am so glad we did! One of the nurses in the operating room mentioned that we should definitely video tape it and take pictures. Strangely enough, several people have watched it. Who knew so many friends and family would end up seeing my uterus. Since I couldn't see what was going on, the anesthesiologist (and Jason) told me step by step what our doctor was doing and made me feel so comfortable. It took less than 10 minutes until Halyn entered the world. Her weight was 8 lbs 4 oz and 21 inches, which is the exact same weight and length I was when I was born. She was placed in my arms in the stretcher with me and opened her eyes. There are no words to describe the moment we saw her for the first time. It truly is love at first sight.

After checking in at the hospital

So excited!

Our first family photo

Chicago Trip

It seems like every summer for the past four years that we lived in Arizona we would start talking about how much we missed Chicago. Especially when we went to all the cubs spring training games around Phoenix. Once we decided earlier this year to move back to Indianapolis, Jason started planning a weekend in Chicago for us and got Cubs tickets at Wrigley Field. We went a few weekends ago in April and had a blast. The Cubs won against the Dodgers in the 8th inning. We sat in the outfield with the "bleacher bums". It was a beautiful day there and such an exciting game. We didn't plan for such a sunny day and got a little burnt on our faces!

After the game we ate at Uno's Pizza which was a few blocks from our hotel. Then we walked around Michigan Ave and went up in the John Hancock Tower Observatory once it got dark. It was so beautiful! We actually went up in the observatory when we went to Chicago back in 2003, one of our first trips together. Since then it looks so much different. They added a restaraunt at the top and a bunch of tables and sitting areas.

The next morning we went to Shedd Aquarium. It was awesome! It was actually Easter Sunday when we were there. Didn't know if it would be more or less crowded, but we are glad we went early because the line to get in was crazy by the time we were leaving. We took a lot of cool pictures there and are glad we went!

Springing Forward

The past month since we have moved back to Indiana has been exactly what we were hoping- cold and rainy! ;) There have been several warm spring days in there too but I really missed this climate with all the changes in the seasons. I am now 6 months along (24 weeks) and getting more and more excited to meet Bambina! About two weeks ago Jason and I took a tour of the labor and delivery floor at Community South Hospital where we will be delivering. It was neat to have a visual of a room and talk with a labor and delivery nurse. We have been considering taking some expectant parent classes in the next few months too.

A few weeks ago I found out I passed my NCLEX nursing boards and have been looking for jobs and interviewing around the Indianapolis area. This past week I took a position at a sub-acute rehab facility in Carmel. It is a four unit transitional care specializing in ortho where patients can stay for about 30 days or less after they leave the hospital and before going back to their homes. I was able to start yesterday and the facility is amazing. I am so excited to have my first nursing job!!!!

We are heading up to Chicago this weekend for a Cubs game at Wrigley. The weather looks great so far, just crossing our fingers it doesn't rain! :) Happy Easter!

24 Weeks

Pregnancy Pictures

This past weekend Blair took some pictures of Jason and I now that I am showing. We went to a small park nearby where we live and the pictures turned out well. We are getting more and more excited the closer we are getting to August. Its been a fun few weeks since we have been back in Indiana. Love being able to see our families without taking time off work and booking flights! Now it just needs to warm up a little! We put all of our pictures from our "photo shoot" (at 21 weeks) up on our website: http://public.fotki.com/caskinner

20 Weeks

We are now about 20 weeks pregnant. On March 4th we had our 3-D ultrasound before leaving Arizona. It was amazing to see each organ in such detail when she is so small! At that appointment she weighed .7 oz. Who knows how much she has grown since then. I have been feeling great, especially now that we are more settled and school/ moving is over. I think I would be happy to not see any boxes for a while! The past few weeks I have been able to feel Bambina kick- especially when the dogs bark. Last week in the middle of the night the dogs heard a noise outside and started barking (since we just moved here the noises are still unfamiliar to them). It was about 4am. Bambina must have been sleeping, because she certainly woke up when she heard them. I felt the biggest movement I have ever felt on all sides of my stomach. Since then she has been kicking a little anytime she hears them. I think she is already a dog-lover. It is such a unique feeling! Hard to describe. I also noticed her kicking more frequently the other day after we went out to dinner with our friends to On the Border. I wonder if the salsa was too spicy for her liking? ;)

March Madness

Somehow in the past 3 weeks we survived the following: nursing school finals, graduation, Jason leaving his job, planning a graduation and going-away party for leaving Arizona, packing up our entire apartment, driving a uhaul and cars from Arizona to Indiana over 3 days (with lots of help from our parents!), finding an apartment in Indianapolis and moving in there... and everything in-between! We love our new living arrangements though and are happy to be living in the midwest... although we have had several "missing Arizona" moments (like realizing we can't do an inexpensive 3 day trip driving to Cali anymore on a few days notice) and I'm sure more to come. I would recommend to anyone to move out of state if they get the opportunity for at least a few years- best decision we have ever made!!


The day before we moved, the girls in my nursing program surprised me with a baby shower. I was shocked to say the least- I've never had a surprise anything and definitely wasn't expecting it. It was such a fun time and I already miss all of them dearly!
















Later that same day was our graduation! It was an outside ceremony and we had a beautiful day of 75 and sunny. There is no feeling better than graduating!!















All of us after my graduation at our going-away party. Now we are just looking forward to starting a new chapter! :)

Our last family picture in our apt. in AZ

After moving back to IN, Dakota and Heinz getting reacquainted with Indiana weather

Its a GIRL!

Thursday, February 24th was our last appointment with Dr. Sawyer in Arizona. We were not scheduled for an ultrasound, just a "tummy check". I was 16 weeks along at that point, and we already had an appointment scheduled for 18 weeks at another facility for an ultrasound there to reveal the sex of the baby and check each organ. Dr. Sawyer walked into the room and said, "Who wants to find out what you're having?!" We were so excited, especially since we didn't think we would find out for another few weeks. During the ultrasound the baby looked like it was running a marathon with the legs kicking non-stop. Finally our doctor got a good look and announced.... ITS A GIRL!

We had immediately agreed to not say anything to our families, as they were planning to fly out to Arizona the following week for my nursing school graduation and to help us move. We thought it would be neat to be able to tell them in person. Well that lasted for about 20 minutes. We also wanted to share the news with all our friends in Arizona before we left so by the end of the day I think we had called everyone we knew.

Jason and I have had fun looking around at things at Babies R Us now that we know the sex. We also found some discontinued baby bedding online in a cute print at a great discounted price. Once we get a chance to scan our recent ultrasound pictures I will post them. We are now officially "thinkin pink"! :)

Our Second Ultrasound

Today marks our second doctor's appointment and second ultrasound with Dr. Sawyer. We were really looking forward to getting another look at Bambino now that I am 12weeks along. (Our first ultrasound pictures were taken at less than 6 weeks). I think during the first appointment we were more in shock because I didn't "feel" pregnant, but this appointment I was teary-eyed from the moment we started the ultrasound until we were back out in the car. Hearing that little heartbeat is so reassuring. The pictures of Bambino turned out really clear, considering he or she was doing flips the whole time. We are happy to announce that Bambino no longer has a tail, and is starting to look a lot less like our puppy Dakota and a lot more like a precious little person! We could see the brain, heart, limbs, and systemic blood flow. Jason and I have decided that we are going to find out the gender. That appointment is scheduled around 18 weeks. I have not had any cravings although I do have a long list of things Bambino does NOT want. This list includes cheese its, saltine crackers (or any crackers for that matter), candy (ex jolly ranchers), chocolate, popsicles, lemonaide, and anything carbonated. I thought I would miss my caffeine-free diet coke but boy was I wrong. Luckily most of the things I eat on a normal basis are okay, especially salads, fruit, pasta, and chicken. Ok lets be real and ice cream!!

Some of my pants are tight but I'm unsure if I'm showing 100% of the time or not. Below is a picture we took before going to our doctor's appointment today.

12 weeks

Jason and I VERY excited for the doctor to come in