3 weeks

3 weeks old today
playing with Kiara

napping with Landon

Today my baby girl is 3 weeks old. She is such a blessing to our lives! You've had many visitors in the past week. Megan and Bryan came to ask lots of questions because Megan is having a girl in January. She enjoyed holding you and learning all about you! You went on your first shopping trip. We went to Concord Mills and met Amber, Hayden and Avery. It was a lot of fun and you did really well! It*s funny how all I wanted to spend my money on was you. I only bought myself 1 thing. I was told this would happen and didn*t believe it. Don*t worry though, mommy will look just as in style and Savannah is going to. :) Robert was off on Friday and Whitney, Brian, Julia and Landon came to visit. They cooked us a late lunch that was amazing. Savannah took a nap with her cousin Landon. The only boy she will ever share a bed with! Paw Paw Foust also came over to visit and she had your eyes open for the first time with him. He was so excited! We bought a pumpkin to carve this week for Halloween. I can*t wait to carve it with Robert and then take Savannah*s picture with it! We haven*t carved a pumpkin together since we graduated college. At 3 weeks old, Savannah can:

* thrust out arms and legs in play

* can lift head briefly when lying on stomach

* may dig heels into mattress then thrust with legs

* coordinates eyes sideways when looking at a light or an object

* has vague and impassive expression during waking hours

* prefers patterns

* may calm when you speak gently to her and hold her upright against your shoulder

* makes eye contact

* adjusts posture to body of person holding her

2 weeks

Enjoys looking at herself in her play yard.Daddy washing Savannah*s hair.
2 weeks old

Savannah is two weeks old today. She has had so many visitors already. She is one loved little girl. Her umbilical cord fell off on Friday, well at least most of it. Robert and I were worried it was infected, so I took her to the doctor on Monday. It turns out everything was ok. She has also gained her weight back to 7 lbs. 10 oz., her birth weight. She is eating really well. I also feel like her newborn clothes are getting a little snug on her. I started a new routine/schedule for her today so we can get her to sleep at night. Once she gets to sleep, she is good, but getting her to sleep is the tough part! I*m starting to go a little stir crazy at home, so i*m hoping Robert will let me spend some time at the mall on Friday, since it*s his day off. We got her professional pictures today and i*m ready to hang them everywhere! We also got her birth announcements and they will be sent out tomorrow. I finally got all of the thank you cards finished for all of her gifts too. I feel pretty productive this past week. At 2 weeks, Savannah:

* startles spontaneously

* her hands are usually fisted or only slightly open

* stares at objects 8 to 12 inches away

* is alert about 1 in every 10 hours

* cries for assisstance

* quiets when held or when she sees faces

* eyes fix on my face in responses to my smile

* stares at faces

* responds to human voices

1 week old

1 week old and ready to see my great grandma and papa bigby
Our little family

Savannah is now 1 week old. She has taken over our world! We love being parents! She is a very laid back baby who sleeps a lot. The only problem is she doesn*t want to go to sleep at night. Once asleep, she*s good, but getting there is tough! We have had tons of visitors people making us food. We have enough food so I don*t have to cook for a long time. It*s great. Savannah also had her first photo shoot on Saturday. She did well until she woke up. Her pictures are beautiful! I*m healing great and we are adjusting to our new world. Savannah gained back 4 oz. from the 9 oz. she lost in the hospital, so needless to say, she eats well! Her first doctor*s apt. went well and we are both doing great! At 1 week, Savannah can:

* when startled, arches her back, kicks her legs and flails her arms
* can lift her head when on stomach or at someone*s shoulder

* moves her head from side to side

* her head flops forward and backward when in sitting position

* sleeps between 19 and 20 hours/day

* moves bowls often and sporadically (we have gone through a lot of diapers already)

* feeds 7 to 8 times/day

* makes animal like sounds (snorts like a pig when she*s hungry)

* looks at a person briefly

Labor and Delivery

At midnight I went into the hospital. I told Robert if they sent me home I would cry b/c my contractions hurt so bad. They checked me and I was dialated 5cm, so they decided to admit me and I was moved into a delivery room. I then began begging for the epidural. They tried to put the needles in my arm to draw blood, but they couldn*t get my blood to draw and it was very painful, I thought I might break Robert*s hand. They finally got the needles in my hand and they were able to draw my blood and start my fluids. I got the epidural at 2:30am. Robert watched as they put it in. It was very interesting. The doctor got a little to close to the right and my right side went numb immediately, but then everything else went numb. From then on, Robert and I slept on and off for until around 7am. At 4am, they went ahead and broke my water and started me on pitocin b/c my contractions slowed down. I was also 9 cm dialated. So, we slept a little while longer and at around 11am, Dr. Landis checked and I was fully dialated and she had me go ahead and do a test push. I pushed for about an hour and Savannah was here. Robert helped the whole time and held my leg and watched it all. It wasn*t as bad as I thought it was going to be. After 13 hours, Savannah Elizabeth Hicks came into this world at 12 noon at 7 lbs. 10 oz. 20 in. long.

Before going to the Hospital

Well, as most of you know, Savannah is here! Sorry it*s been a while, but just adjusting to being a mom. On Tuesday, Oct. 5, I work up around 2am with contractions. I hadn*t felt contractions before then and man, I finally knew what they felt like. I laid in bed for about half and hour and then started timing them at 2:30. I woke Robert up at 3:30 and told him what was going on. When he finally got up for work, he had me call the doctor and she sent him on to work. He called all day to check on me. I went to the doctor around lunch time and I was dialated 3cm and 90% effaced, so the doctor scraped my membranes again and sent me home. Mom took me to lunch at Macaroni Grill and then I went home to relax. Robert came home from work and we took a walk around the block to help my contractions, which I was having the entire time we were walking. We ate dinner and then around 9pm I took a bath and my contractions were coming 3-5 minutes apart and were hurting. We decided to call Dr. Landis at 10pm and she told me to hold off for another 2 hours if I could. I was able to hold off until 11pm and then we packed up, took Tipper to my mom and dads and headed to the hospital.