New Best Friend!

Congratulations to our friends and neighbors, Michelle and Joey Grice, who welcomed their new little angel on Christmas Day! Lauren Elizabeth Grice was born at 8:18 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs, 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. The girls were born 11 days apart and are sure to be the best of friends (just like their moms)! 2 down, 1 to go... Our other neighbors, Emily & Jeremy, are expecting a little boy in April. What a fun year this is going to be for all of us! Take a look at this beautiful little girl!

Water Baby

Little Miss Addison had her first real bath today. Her umbilical cord stump fell off last night. She was as happy as a fish in water. We hope she continues to love the water. Nothing smells better than a clean little baby!.

Merry Christmas

We Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

On the Day You Were Born

Our birth story is definitely an eventful one and one we will surely remember forever. When my original due date of December 9th passed with little action, it became evident that a timely arrival was not in the plan for us. At our doctor's appointment on the 11th, I was barely dilated (not even a 1) so we made the decision to go ahead with the induction process.

On Thursday, December 13th, we ate a quick dinner, hugged the little white dog and left for the hospital knowing that our lives were about to change forever.

We arrived at Beaufort Memorial Hospital shortly after 6 p.m. and were quickly admitted to a labor and delivery room. I was checked (still only a "fingertip" dilated), my IV was administered and I was given some medication to help soften my cervix. I also had a last minute ultrasound because the baby was so high. She was head down, but she was still positioned extremely high. In fact, she was so high that three different nurses commented on just how high she was. It was if they were all shocked that I was there. I started to wonder if we were doing the right thing by trying to induce labor. It was definitely a long and uncomfortable night. I was hooked to a monitor that tracked the baby's heart rate as well as any contraction activity I was having. Each time I changed positions (which was extremely often because the bed was terribly uncomfortable), the monitor would move and a nurse would come in to reposition the monitor. Although I took 2 Ambien, I might have slept a total of 2 hours the entire night. I was just too uncomfortable (and nervous) to sleep.

When my cervix was checked early Friday morning, it was a little softer, but I was still less than 1 cm dilated. Not very promising, but the doctor was committed to do everything possible to help us have a regular delivery. As planned, the pitocin started flowing, and as the morning progressed, the nurses continued to increase the amount of pitocin they were giving me. By 12:30 or so, I was 1 cm dilated, and my doctor went ahead and broke my water in hopes of bringing on labor. Almost immediately, I began to feel the contractions. And feel them did I ever! (The uncomfortable bed didn't help the situation). After some deliberation, I decided it was time for an epidural. I kept putting it off because I thought it might be the wee hours of the morning before I began pushing, and the thought of my legs being numb for several hours was a little unnerving to me. The nurse kept telling me I would know when it was time, and she was correct. I knew when it was time. When the tears started rolling from the contractions, it was time. Unfortunately, once I asked for the epidural, it was at least an hour before my wish was granted. Seems it was a busy day for epidurals, and I had to wait my turn.

Once the epidural was administered, the doctor checked me again, and I think I was a 2 at this point. I was also hooked up to an internal monitor to monitor the viability (strength) of my contractions. After about an hour, the doctor came back to check me again, and I think I had finally dilated to a 3. The internal monitor showed that I was having viable contractions, and under normal circumstances, the combination of the pitocin and the viable contractions should have thrown me into active labor and caused my cervix to dilate. In my situation, this was not the case. Although the pain I was feeling before the epidural was extremely intense, I was not in active labor yet. It had been almost 24 hours since we began the induction process, and I was starting to get a little frustrated. Around 5 p.m., the doctor checked me again, and I was still only a 3. At this point, the doctor said it was time to talk about our options. It was evident that the conditions were not favorable for a regular delivery, and it really didn't seem that anything was going to change anytime soon.

In my mind, I think I had already started to prepare for the possibility of a c section so I was not totally shocked when she said that a c section looked like our best option. She said we could wait it out a little longer but that the longer we waited, the higher the chances would be that the baby or I would become stressed. The last thing I wanted was to do something that would harm me or the baby so I said, "Let's go for it." Craig asked the doctor what time she'd be performing the c section, and she said, "Now!" I think he was more nervous than I was. In fact, I know he was. In no time, the nurse had me prepared for surgery and off we went. It was such a strange feeling. I was totally alert but I couldn't feel a thing. At 5:40 p.m.,on Friday, December 14th, I heard the sweetest sound I have ever heard in my life -- baby Addison's little cry. What a wonderful sound it was!

After a brief visit with our little angel, Craig left for the nursery with her. He met the grandparents in the hall with her, and needless to say, everyone was truly amazed at her arrival. In the nursery, Craig helped weigh her, measure her, bathe her, and diaper her for the first time. Then, he watched as the nurse gave baby Addison Vitamin K and Hepatitis B shots and put antibiotic ointment in her eyes.

After surgery, I was wheeled into the recovery room where I spent an hour or so. Once released from recovery, I was wheeled to my room (by way of the nursery). I got a few quick peeks at our little girl in the warmer and could not have been happier. After an hour or so, the nurse finally brought little Addison to the room for me to hold her for the very first time. Words cannot explain what an amazing feeling this was.

After a few moments alone with little Addison, several of our friends and family members came into the room to meet the newest member of the Norris family. Little Miss Addison is one lucky girl. She has so many "aunts" and "uncles" who love her so much already. Craig and I are fortunate to have such wonderful friends to share this exciting time with.

The next few days were spent recovering from the c section and adjusting to life with our little girl. We stayed in the hospital until Monday, and although we were nervous about leaving the comfort of the 24 hour care we received at the hospital, we were anxious to get home and begin our new life with Addison.

So that's the birth story of the little girl who changed our lives forever. A sweet beginning for a sweet little girl!

Special Visitors

Addison had so many special visitors while in the hospital. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to welcome her. She is one lucky girl to have all of you in her life. Above are a few pictures of her special visitors.

1 Week Old

Craig and I cannot BELIEVE our little girl is already 1 week old. This time last week I was in surgery awaiting the arrival of sweet baby Addison. Craig and I knew we would love her, but I don't think we had any idea we would love her THIS much. In one short week, she has brought so much joy into our house. The coos, the giggles, the smell of a new baby, and oh yes, the sleep deprivation...

The first few days at home were tough for all of us. Addison was hungry, my milk was a little late coming in, the dog was in shock, and Craig and I were desperately seeking a little sleep. Thankfully, we are all adjusting slowly but surely. I seem to have milk, Addison seems to be satisfied, Molly dog is on speaking terms with us again, and we are getting a few hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time.

Addison had her first sponge bath on Wednesday just before her first trip to the pediatrician's office for a check up. At birth, Addison weighed 7 lbs, 13 ounces. When we left the hospital, she weighed 7 lbs, 1 ounce. At her doctor's appointment on Wednesday, her weight had dropped to 6 lbs, 15 ounces. Since my milk was a little late to arrive, we had to supplement the breast feeding with a small amount of formula in a syringe. We are happy to report that after our 2nd trip to the pediatrician's office for a weight check, little miss Addison is back up to 7 lbs, 7 ounces and is back to breast milk only.

I am on the road to recovery from the c section. I'm still fairly sore, but as long as I remember to take the motrin, I am okay. The hardest part is getting in and out of the bed. I guess I never realized just how much I rely on my abdominal muscles to get in and out of the bed.

Because of the c section, we decided to keep Addison downstairs with us. Our plan was to put her in the pack and play, but we found out very quickly that she was not a fan of the pack and play. I think she has too much room to roll around in the pack and play. She is way more comfortable in smaller spaces. So we experimented with a few things and realized that she loves being swaddled and placed in the papasan bouncy seat. At night, we put the papasan seat in the top of the pack and play, and so far, she has been sleeping like a champ. Hopefully, she will continue to sleep like a champ. I guess we'll just have to wait to see about that...

Craig has proven to be a wonderful father already. He was thrown into the fire and has done a fantastic job with everything. Before the baby's arrival, he asked me a thousand questions about what we would do with her. I told him not to worry that we would figure it out. And figure it out, we are doing. Not only has he been taking care of Addison, but he has also been taking care of me. I know you might find it hard to believe, but he is in the kitchen preparing dinner for the 2nd night in a row. Addison and I are 2 lucky little girls.

We also owe a big thank you to my mom. She left yesterday after spending the week with us. I was so sad to see her go, but she'll be back soon. She helped with the important things -- the laundry, the cleaning and the cooking. Addison spent much of her time in the papasan seat on the island watching mom cook for us. If we start her young enough, maybe Addison will learn to love to cook as much as my mom does. Thanks mom for all of your help! We can't wait for you to come back!

So as you can see, we have had one busy week. We've laughed, we've cried, but most of all, we've been blessed with the love of a beautiful baby girl. We really can't remember what life was like before her arrival, and quite honestly, we don't want to. We are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives with this little girl.

Welcome Little One

We are proud to announce the birth of the new love of our lives, Addison Kate Norris. Born via an unscheduled c-section on Friday, December 14th at 5:40 p.m., she weighed 7 lbs 13 ounces and measured 20 inches long. After 4 nights in the hospital, we are happy to be home!