Haley Kate Buskirk

Our precious baby, Haley Kate Buskirk, was born on February 18, 2009 at 6:19 pm. She weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and was 21 1/2inches long. She is just the most adorable baby we have ever seen (we are extremely biased).

The day started with my weekly checkup at the OBGYN where they informed me that I was already 4 cm and having contractions (this was news to me as I hadn't felt a thing). They also told me that my blood pressure was in the severe range and that I needed to head directly labor and delivery. After about 30 minutes of having my BP monitored they went ahead and decided to move me over to a room. From this point on things moved pretty quickly. So quickly in fact that just six short hours later, and without the aid of an epidural, she was here. Once I actually started feeling the contractions things progressed so rapidly that there was no time for the epidural to take effect. So in the end I went all natural with only a mild dose of local anesthesia. On the plus side I felt like a million bucks almost immediately following delivery! All in all the day was not exactly how I had imagined it...it was better!! She is the most precious gift we could have ever asked for.

We love you baby girl and can't wait to watch you grow!!

My Civic Duty

At first I thought the worse possible scenario of going into labor would be my water breaking at work but I have reevaluated and now I think it would definitely be much worse if it happens in a jurors box. I got called for jury duty to begin tomorrow morning. I am not sure how the summons process goes but I don't think their timing could be any worse. Chances are I will not be selected since I could literally go into labor at any minute. This bums me out a little since I have never been called for jury duty before and thought it would be quite interesting to get to sit through a trial. I guess there is always next time. Justin got called too but he is going to have to get his postponed.

Do you think this is a sign that maybe some day Haley will go into the field of law?

Torpedo

I have been promising current belly pics and I finally got around to it last night. The whole photo shoot experience was a real awakening. I have been here for the entire 9 months and watched myself gradually grow from week to week however it took a couple of pictures to make me realize just how huge I have gotten here lately. It looks like she is a little torpedo in my belly just inching to get out.

36 weeks

13 weeks

Notice the happy, excited smile of the earlier pic compared to the ragged, tired smile of the one from last night. Also please note the chipmunk cheeks that are forming. I am so ready for her to be her already so she will stop wrecking havoc on my body!!!

Oh, and just for good measure, I added in a picture of my cankles which I am sure Justin will tease me about until we are 90!

Hutch

This is one of those times I will say I am thankful for being pregnant since I really didn't have to do much to get the cabinet completed. The hutch originated from my aunt and uncle's house where it lived the first half of its life as a built-in. Since John and Kara where moving into a new house on the same lot the original house was set to be demolished. My dad, always looking for the diamond in the rough, got a chance to scavage before the big demo and decided that this piece was worth saving. Thank goodness he did.

Once the cabinet was removed from the old house it was relocated to Victoria for the first round of restoration. My dad added some bead board to the back of the cabinet and did some repairs to the sliding doors. Following that it made the trip to Pearland where it sat in our garage for a good 2 months before we (Justin) got the energy to start our (Justin's) part of the project. First he had to sand off all the old layers of paint as best he could and repair the areas of damaged wood. Finally we (I actually helped a little) had to prime, paint, and finish it off with two coats of wax. In the end I think all the hard work that the guys put in made this a piece Justin and I will cherish forever. Thanks again to my wonderful husband and my always helpful father. You guys are great!!

Debatable

I decided that now would be just as good as ever to make my final fruit post. My main hang up however is that technically speaking I am in the 8th month which would make her a honeydew yet she is weighing more in line with the watermelon of the 9th month.



At this rate I have no idea what she is going to be like in a few weeks, perhaps a Texas sized watermelon!! He he.

Frustrated

I had my last biweekly appointment today and it seems they want me to come in for yet another U/S. Don't get me wrong, I love every chance I get to see a glimpse of my beautiful little girl, but it is getting to be a little ridiculous. They tell me nothing is wrong and that she is perfectly healthy...the problem it seems is that she is getting too healthy. My doctor told me today that for this stage of pregnancy she is weighing in the 95th percentile which in normal person lingo would make her ginormous. From the measurements the tech took at the U/S this past Saturday they put her at 36 1/2 weeks and 6 lbs 7 oz...almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule. All in all I just need to remind myself that she is healthy and beautiful (I can tell from all the pics) and she will be here when she is ready...and that the doctor is the professional which means she knows best. He he.

On the bright side we got some more pics of Haley. In this one she almost appears to be frowning. After all these pre-birth pics she is going to either be super photogenic or very camera shy!

Prepared

Baby Buskirk's arrival is getting so close we can hardly believe it. The last eight months have flown by. It has been a whirlwind of doctor's appointments, weight gain, and informational reading. There has been tons of preparations (we have bought and assembled all the necessary baby gear, we stocked up on diapers and wipes, I have washed all her clothes in the proper detergent, we finished decorating the room, etc.) yet somehow I still feel completely unprepared and disorganized. I wonder if this is how my life will feel for the next 18 years?!?! Now all there is left for us to do is wait for her arrival...this is one thing I have never been good at! I am ready for her to be here and ready for Justin and I to take on our new roles of mom and dad!

Check out the finished room. I can't wait to watch her grow up in here!

Oh, by the way, we have decided on a name....Haley! It was one of our favorites all along and we decided to make it official.