Poages at the Pumpkin Patch!

We took our Little Pumpkin to the pumpkin patch today!

Last year we took Howie as a young puppy and had such fun making pictures of him romping around through the pumpkins that we thought it was fitting to take Avery and see if she had as much fun as Howie did! She's still too young to be able to coax smiles out of her on demand, but she seemed to enjoy herself and was so sweet the whole time... She didn't get fussy even though we were passing her around and propping her with pumpkins... She's so patient with us.

Hard to believe that once Halloween rolls around she'll be one month old! Here are some pictures we took...

Baby's 1st Outing: Chuy's on Knox!

We got to go to Chuy's for about an hour on Wednesday night to celebrate one of my good friend's 27th Birthday! (Happy Birthday, Melissa!) It felt good to get out of the house, but there was still that lingering 1st-time-Mom voice in the back of my head saying, "She's too young to be out of the house!" :/ But she seems to be fine, so I guess we didn't pick up any germs! :)

Avery is 3 weeks old today!! I can't believe the time is passing as quickly as it is. Each day gets better and better... We are truly blessed and loving life! :)

Hugs & Happy weekend!
















Above: (Left to Right) Kristen, Melissa, Lea (who's due in January!) and me
Below: Collin with his super high maintenance baby girl... Can't you tell how demanding she is? :)





















Below: Jon (hubby of the Birthday girl) and Collin

Week #3!

Avery is 16 days old!

It's hard to believe that it's been that long. It seems like we just blinked and all these days have passed! We're still having fun settling in and getting used to our family consisting of three members now instead of just two.

The "big events" in Avery's past few weeks of life have been a couple of car rides to the doctor, LOTS of visitors to the house to see her (including her "Gram" who stayed for a week to help out!) taking a walk around the block with Mom, Dad, Howie and Aunt Jen and Uncle Andrew last Sunday afternoon, and also taking a few BATHS! Yes.. Real baths! (We were having to sponge-bathe until the umbilical cord fell off) But now that it has come off we have been able to bathe her like a big girl and she seems to find it pretty relaxing! Avery also has fun watching football with Dad. College football or NFL... She doesn't seem to have a preference yet. She doesn't keep up with the game much, but she likes her Daddy/daughter time for sure. They had fun rooting for the Aggies on Saturday! Oddly enough... it worked! :)

We also had two trips to doctor's appointments this week! One impromptu-trip to Avery's doctor when a case of the sniffles turned into what seemed to be a severe respiratory problem (but then turned out to actually just be a case of the sniffles) and also a trip to my doctor to make sure I'm healing as I should be. Both appointments turned up good news! Avery is healthy and the doctors complimented her on her sweet disposition. They said that usually newborns scream and cry throughout the visit, but she just laid there and looked around peacefully as they checked her out! (Sweet baby...) She weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz! That was music to my ears, because she has already surpassed her birth weight and that means she's getting enough to eat and growing like a healthy girl!

When she's not cruising around the block in her super-cool stroller, or taking a bath, or watching football with Dad, she's usually sleeping. And somehow, I think Collin thinks that the rule "When the baby is sleeping YOU should be sleeping" applies to Dads instead of Moms. Either way, Daddy and daughter sure do like to catch their Z's together...

Can't wait to have more to report!...


Above: Cheering on the Aggies to a BIG win!





















Above: Sleeping with Dad...
Below: Sleeping with Dad...





















Below: Ever had one of those dreams that's really thought-provoking?? Apparently Avery has them quite often...


Below: What more could a girl ask for than a nice hot bath and a strategically-placed rubber duckie?? :)

Happy to be home!

I am at a complete loss for words...

Maybe that's because of lack of sleep, or maybe it's because our world has turned upside down... or maybe it's simply because of this AMAZING new little life that's joined ours! Yes-- it's true that there is less sleep to be had, and also true that a newborn changes life in EVERY way... but I can honestly say that my life this week is a million times better than last week! There's more laughter, more tears of joy, more love in our home, sweeter memories being made... This first week home from the hospital has already blessed my life in countless ways and we are SO content just looking into the eyes of our sweet Avery. She is an absolute angel, and we are truly blessed.

Collin, Avery and I came home just before 8pm on Sunday, October 1st, and we've been "settling in" ever since! Collin is not working this week and all my family went home on Monday, so the three of us are having fun trying to get into a routine with the new family. There's not a whole lot to report as of yet... Avery eats a lot and sleeps a LOT (and both are blessings in themselves!) She only woke up once last night between 1:30am and 7:30am! Amazing. We're having a lot of fun welcoming this beautiful baby into our lives! We can hardly take our eyes off of her.

Here are a few pictures...

BED, BIRTH & BEYOND...

Avery Elizabeth Poage
6:48pm 9/29/06
7lbs 11oz
20.25 inches

Whew!!... What a whirlwind of a weekend! Let's recap...

Thursday, after the doctor's appointment where we scheduled an induction for Wednesday October 4th, we felt VERY alive and excited knowing that we had less than a week to go! That excitement gave me all kinds of energy... I went straight from the appointment to two different stores just to browse and to stay on my feet! (I had heard that walking would bring the baby sooner, so I wanted to stay upright as much as possible.) That evening we took Howie on a BIG walk around the block and felt so energized by the cool weather- It couldn't have been a nicer evening.

Then when we got back to the house I decided I wanted to make homemade cheese soup, which is an old Ellison family favorite. (How I didn't recognize that I was having a "burst of energy" which is a classic indicator of labor... I'll never know.) I figured that standing over the stove was just as good as walking-- Kept me upright! :)

With exercised legs and a tummy full of comfort food, I tucked in for the night NEVER expecting what was just hours away. From about 2:30am to 4am I was up and down thinking that something was up, but not really knowing what. I was feeling some contractions, but wasn't convinced that it was labor. My body really wanted to stay in bed, but my mind kept telling me it was probably time to wake up and face the music! At 4:10am I knew it was time to wake Collin. He'll never let me live down the fact that I woke him up and said something like, "I think I'm having contractions... I need to go do the rest of the dishes and vacuum incase we have to go to the hospital." Ha!! :) It was 4am and I was in labor, and my priorities were dishes and clean carpet of all things! ...Go figure... I just knew I didn't want to bring our new baby home to a house with dishes in the sink and Howie tracks on the floor.

After Collin vacuumed and helped me with the dishes, we called the doc and told her what was going on. By then the contractions were definitely growing stronger and were timing 8 minutes apart. She told us to come on in to get checked so we packed up the remaining items, got Howie all set for the day, loaded up the car and hit the road! (Of course, we updated the blog before leaving because I am a blog-aholic.)

Turns out that when the doctor checked me, I was actually in labor and the rest of the day was spent going through the process of giving birth to our amazing, precious, perfect baby girl. The SUPER fun parts of the day were when the anesthesiologist was delayed in getting my epidural in because of a C-section, so I spent a good 2 hours really feeling what it would have been like had I opted out of the drugs! YOWW!!... Contractions without drugs are MEAN! I was having them every 3 and 4 minutes and hit strengths of 70 and 80 on a scale of 100! Seriously.... Ouch. But once that epidural went in it was pretty smooth sailing! Things progressed, pushing started and before we knew it the most amazing miracle was looking us in the eyes!

God is SO good!! We are all healthy, happy and can't get enough of each other! I am SO in love with Avery, I can't even explain the feeling! We are truly blessed. She is taking to nursing like a CHAMP, and the lactation consultant said she was her "Star nurser" of the day! She is stealing the hearts of her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Nurses and many more... She's already figured out a few ways to get her Daddy's undivided attention. He's completely wrapped around her little finger, of course.

We can't wait for EACH of you to meet our baby girl! She is truly a treasure and we give all the Glory to God for this amazing little person. From the very CORE, we thank you for your prayers and support throughout this journey. We love you all!

Headed to the Hospital!!

We think something's happening... Been having pretty intense contractions since about 4am. Going to Labor and Delivery to get checked out!

Call 214-564-5463 for updates!! We hope this isn't a fake-out!! :)

Less than a week away!!

FINALLY we can say for SURE that a week from now we will be snuggling our baby girl!! :)

I saw my doctor today for the last time until she's delivering Avery! Everything still looks good... blood pressure, weight, Avery's heartbeat, etc... I'm 50% effaced and 2+cm dilated. (Sorry if that's T.M.I. for anyone....) With this info, the doctor felt like we should go ahead and schedule an induction for WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4th!!

She said that by then, I will be over a week past the due date, and that nothing good happens when you're 42 weeks pregnant. SO-- if Avery's not going to come out on her own before the 4th, we're going to give her a little help! :) She will share her Birthday month with her Grandpoppie (my Dad) and her Uncle Andrew who were both October babies as well!

Collin and I are SO excited, and honestly a little relieved to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We'll report to labor and delivery at 6:00am on Wednesday, and we'll keep everyone updated by the call-in system so remember to call 214-564-5463 for updates! (But not until Wednesday... unless you just want to talk to me!)

For my "prayer warriors" out there:

• Please keep praying for Collin to get to feeling better-- It's WORKING and he's healing, so THANK YOU and keep 'em coming! :)
  
• Also please pray for my sweet family as they travel to be here to meet & greet the lil' pumpkin! :) They're so excited, so let's pray that the excitement doesn't transfer to the right foot and make anyone get a speeding ticket, and of course that they stay safe on the road.
  
• Avery and I appreciate your prayers for a safe and speedy delivery as well!! Whether she comes on October 4th with the induction or before, we are just praying that everything will go smoothly and that the outcome will be a healthy Mom & baby!

We are so grateful for the amazing amount of support you've all shown. Thank you all for going through this experience with us! We're almost there........

Love & Hugs--
The Poages

Still pregnant!!

It's two days past the due date now, and I feel like Christmas came and went and Santa forgot to come to our house! It's strange, because in a lot of ways it feels like since she's not here yet, she's never coming... But everyone keeps assuring me that she WILL come out! I guess they're right, but at this point I feel a little like I've made the whole thing up in my mind.

The newest hurdle that's come about is that Collin is SICK!! :( :( Collin rarely gets sick, but he's battling a major sinus bug and he's so afraid that if Avery were to come now the doctors wouldn't let him hold her because he might be contagious. PLEASE pray for Collin -- that he will heal very quickly so that he can snuggle his baby girl as soon as she arrives!

If I had to guess, I'd guess she may hold off until early October. No reason why I'm thinking that... I'm just guessing she may be an October baby afterall. "Peanut Poage" will be "Pumpkin Poage" :) .....And I will STILL be pregnant for another week+......

I'll post any news that might come from tomorrow's visit at the doctor's office! For now... don't hold your breath. :/

Late...

Well....... she's truly my daughter....... she's running late. :)

So, the due date came and went and still no baby Avery to snuggle. All day Sunday we thought we were finally making some progress as I was having "contractions" every 10 minutes for over 5 hours. They were painless contractions, so I knew it wasn't labor, but my stomach would ball up and get so tight that Collin could SEE from across the room that I was having a contraction. Very strange. It was also strange because when my stomach would tighten she would feel extra lumpy in there because it was like all of the cushioning disappeared briefly and there was just tight skin around the baby. Kind of "alien like" but also sort of cool.

Anyway... we thought for sure that was the beginning of something. So yesterday I called in to see if I could get in to see the doctor. (I was too impatient to wait until my scheduled appointment on Thursday.) My doctor was out, but we were able to get in to see her partner, and I was really hoping to have a discussion about the possiblity of inducing now that I was "past due."

The doctor was very informative and patient with us answering all of our questions. It turned out that he did not see a need to induce since my blood pressure is still good, the baby is healthy and moving around, and my body is obviously showing signs of impending labor. He pretty much said that we just need to wait it out for a few more days and that our chances for a quicker and more normal delivery are better at this point if we don't induce and just let my body go into labor on it's own. SO-- that was that! Now we just have to have patience and wait for Miss Avery to decide it's time to come out and greet the world.

Shouldn't be any surprise to us that she's taking her time... Collin and I are both sleep addicts, and anyone who knows me knows that I am the QUEEN of hitting the snooze button. She's just in there hitting "snooze" on us... but that's okay. We will wait... and she'll be worth it! :)

So-- no news yet! But, as always... we'll keep you posted....

Still nothing...

Went to the doctor yesterday! I was 4 days away from the due date, and still only 2cm! Booooo. But everyone keeps telling me not to take these "bonus days" for granted and to really take advantage of the time we have to get things done that need to be done! (I just wish I wasn't 5 million pounds and that I felt like doing any of those things that "need to be done!")

The doctor said that everything looked fine and that there was no reason or need to induce, so we're just going back in a week to see how things look! By then I'll be 3 days PAST my due date and probably very ready to get the show on the road! But Collin and I are still going to stick to the "if it's not broken, don't fix it" mentality and only induce if there's a medical reason! :) We can wait it out... We think! :)

Our prayers for Avery in these last few days are:

• That God will begin labor and send her out in HIS perfect timing
• That there will be no complications with the labor and delivery
• Specifically that the cord will not wrap around her neck in the birthing process
• That she will take quickly to nursing
• That Avery will have a strong and healthy little body

Our prayers for ourselves as soon-to-be parents are:

• That the signs and sypmpoms of labor will be CLEAR so that we can get to the hospital in plenty of time for that epidural!
• That labor will go quickly and that our spirits and energy will remain high throughout the process
• That we will continue to strive to be parents who are worthy of this perfect and precious little gift
• That we will always look to the Lord for guidance in raising Avery

Love and Hugs to all!!


A few pictures....

Saturday night before our date night: Collin took his "girls" out to dinner! :)



And now for a series of pictures called "Howie waits for Avery!"... Howie's favorite place to sleep these days is curled up in Avery's nursery. He's already a very protective "big brother!" :)

Below: Sunday, September 17th



Below: Tuesday, September 19th, stretching after a nap



Below: Friday, September 22nd - Howie is stretching again walking towards me as I snap the picture. I can't seem to take a picture of him sleeping... he always wakes up!


It seems we're ALL having trouble being patient these days. :)

Nothing yet...

Monday night I thought I was experiencing the beginning of "something" but that all fizzled out and Avery is back to being completely happy and content in there! I guess she's not coming out... I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll just be pregnant for life! Baby Aves is showing no desire to come out as of yet.

She's still moving around a bunch and reacting to noises that bother her, etc. She does not like it when Howie barks! And she got even fussier today when I had to take Howie to the groomer and he sat on my lap (ontop of Avery) on the drive. I tried to keep putting him in the passenger seat, but he kept wandering over to my lap and was stepping all over her. She did NOT approve. I keep telling her, "There's a lot more room out here, honey, if you want to just come on out!" :) We're really ready to have her.

Each day we go without her feels a little like "borrowed time" as we try and take advantage of the calm before the storm! I go back to the doctor tomorrow at 1pm for a check-up! I'll be sure and post any news that might come of that appointment.

And, as always, we'll keep you posted!!.... :)

Call for updates!

Okay-- here's the deal...

We're less than 10 days away from the due date, which really means that we're in the "any day now" time period, so Collin and I thought it was important to get some info out to everyone that might be useful. In the next few days, we will head to labor and delivery and the whole birth-giving process will begin!! With ANY luck, we'll be able to make one last post on the blog before hitting the road to the hospital, and we may just say something like "Headed to L&D!" But we didn't want to leave everyone hanging... so we've come up with a system on how to keep all our friends and family posted on the progress. Read carefully.... :)

On the day of delivery, feel free to call 214-564-5463 for minute-by-minute updates on the progression of labor, etc. This is MY cell phone number, but my phone will be turned off and will go straight to voicemail. The plan is for Collin to frequently update the outgoing message you will hear with the latest & greatest news. (Of course, it won't be updated unless there's something to report, but if there's any new news it'll be there!) Please DON'T LEAVE A MESSAGE. Just use it as a call-in update service.

Now... with all that said... this is the PLAN, but things can go crazy at the last minute and it might not actually materialize. BUT- for now, this is how we plan to keep everyone informed on the day of delivery. Just jot that number down and hang onto it until you get the word that we've gone to the hospital! We hope this works!!

We can't wait to hold her!!.... :)

That's our baby! :)

Got all GOOD news at the doctor today!! Blood pressure was "excellent" again and I'm weighing in at the same weight I was a week ago, so that's good too! :) But the REAL fun news came with the sonogram...

The lady doing the sonogram was able to get a really good angle on her face, which is apparently rare at 38 1/2 weeks. She got so excited by it that she did (for FREE) a few 3D pictures of Avery's little face for us to bring home! I can't believe how much she looks like Collin to me!! I think she's just such a precious little baby and I can't wait to kiss those chubby cheeks in a few days!!

She is currently 7.5 lbs which puts her in the 77th percentile. That means we're right on track! We're not inducing... we're just going to ride it out and see how things go. Collin and I were both 8+ lbs, so she probably will be too. To me, she's just an adorable carbon-copy of her Daddy!! We're both SO in love...

Here are the sonogram pictures! (Incase you're wondering... NO there's not an alien twin in there with her! :) The funky-shaped blobby stuff you see is the placenta, and Avery is apparently using it as a pillow. Smart baby!) The countdown continues...


In this shot she has her eye open! (She may have both eyes open, but the other one is covered up by her "alien twin!") :)




And in this picture she looks like she's licking her top lip or something. Who knows?...



In the pictures above, I was just trying to figure out who she looks like so I put my newborn picture on the left and Collin's on the right. I think she looks like COLLIN!! What do you think?

Getting closer to "ready!"

Each day brings us a day closer to THE day!... and it gives us another opportunity to finish up some lingering projects/tasks that have been on the "to do" list for a while. Seems like we got lots of things crossed off the list this weekend, which feels really good.

Collin got the car seat installed in the Jeep with a little help from Joe Mitchell (a "seasoned" Dad of a 4 month old) and it seems the guys did a great job! We've still got to take it by a fire station to have it inspected, but it was VERY surreal to ride to church yesterday with a car seat in the back! HA! What a weird first-time feeling...

I finally got the things hung on the walls in Avery's room that I've been meaning to hang for a while. The nursery is really starting to feel peaceful and serene, which was always what I wanted. I probably spend a half-hour each day just sitting in that rocking chair and looking around the room playing lullibies to Avery through my belly. She likes her rocking chair already. And she now has a VERY full and fashionable closet, thanks to lots of very nice gifts and some precious hand-me-downs from family and her 4-month-old friend, Ella Mitchell. (Everyone told me not to buy any clothes for her because I would be given enough... I think they were right!) I hope this child likes PINK! :)





















The other "project" that's FINALLY wrapping up this week is the Kitchen!! (Queue Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus!") Today the backsplash and utility room tile went in, and the wood flooring will go in tomorrow. Finish all that off with baseboards, etc. and we're done!! :) Collin worked SO HARD this weekend doing electrical work and installing track lighting underneath the cabinets and in the glass cabinets over the sink. If I say so myself, he's rather amazing. Avery has one smart and talented Papa!! (Here are a couple of snapshots I made of the kitchen progress. I can hardly believe we're close to the end of this never-ending remodel. (Pregnant friends-- be smarter than I was and NEVER ever remodel during a pregnancy!!)

















On Wednesday, I'll be posting more baby news-- WITH PICTURES from the sonogram!! :) After that appointment we'll know a little more about when we can expect Avery's arrival. Thanks for checking the blog! We hope everyone is doing well!

Love to all--

37 1/2 weeks Doctor's report...

Just got back from my Doctor's appointment and everything looks good! My weight is on track and the nurse said my blood pressure looked "excellent!" (Always nice to hear good news at the doctor.) I'll be 38 weeks on Monday!

Collin came along this time and we got to hear Avery's heartbeat again. The nurse put the doppler over to the left side of my HUGE belly and it sounded somewhat "swishy" and muffled and then she moved it to the right side of my belly and it sounded perfectly clear as if she had a stethoscope on a little baby's chest. She explained that the left side was the blood rushing through the placenta and the right side was where we were hearing her actual heart beating. (Probably way too much information for most of you reading along, but we thought it was interesting!) She's pumpin' along at 140 beats per minute and she is doing her own water aerobics every day... seriously sometimes I think she's going to come out through my belly button.

I'm 1 cm dilated and not yet effaced. Next week the Doc wants to do a sonogram to see how BIG Avery is to determine if we need to induce. Seems the Doctor may suspect a Poage-sized baby indeed!! :) If she's sittin' in there at 8 lbs. and we're still 2 weeks from the due date, we may go ahead and see if we can move things along. Otherwise, I still plan to just "live & let live" and hope to go into labor naturally!

Either way, we will for SURE get to see our baby girl next Wednesday on the screen and I'll post pictures as soon as we have them. Not long now!! We can't wait! :)

Almost time for the Harvest! :)

FALL IS HERE!!!... You know what THAT means!!... Football season, cooler weather, crisp air... and all kinds of things are "dropping!" I was just in Bed Bath & Beyond, and a co-shopper pointed his finger at me and said, "You need to be at the hospital! You've dropped and everything!" His wife looked humiliated, but I got a good laugh out of it. :) A little less than 3 weeks to go!! ...If she doesn't come early, that is!...

Can I just say how STRANGE it is to know that in just a matter of days/weeks Collin & I will be parents?! The other night as we were going to bed I said, "We're about to get a roommate!..." It's so exciting and so ODD at the same time, but we couldn't be happier. We are definitely counting our many blessings in these next few days until we get to count fingers and toes too! :)

The house is getting more and more prepared for Avery day by day. The nursery is coming together, the pack & play/bassinet is set up by our bed and ready for use, hospital bags are packed and ready to hit the door in a hurry, and the kitchen mess is even starting to settle! All in all, it's been a LONG hot Summer, but we can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel on all the work we've been doing and we're ready for "Harvest season" in more ways than one.

Tomorrow I go into the doctor for my weekly check-up, so I will be posting news again after that visit. My doc will be able to give us a more accurate reading of my progression and may be able to tell if she'll be early/on time/late... etc. Can't wait to have more to report!

Thanks for the prayers! ...Keep 'em coming as the countdown continues!...
Love & Hugs--
The Poages

Watch Me Grow!!

"Are you relaxing and putting your feet up?" :)

This is the question I'm asked most frequently now that I'm not going in to the office on a daily basis anymore.... But believe me... I'm still WORKING. :)

"Relaxing" and "putting my feet up" just isn't an option when my kitchen project is still going. But we're making progress!! The cabinets are in, the countertops are in and the appliances are now in! Some of the appliances are ready to use... some aren't quite ready yet, but we're getting there. Still can't use the kitchen sink, but the dishwasher is good-to-go! :) Still can't use the ovens, but the microwave is useable. AND-- I have my refrigerator back, so now I can have things like MILK again and leftovers!! :) (The things we take for granted...)

The countdown is ON and we've got about 3 1/2 weeks until Avery arrives!! ....Maybe I'll have a few minutes to put my feet up in the hospital...... ;)

A few pictures of the kitchen taken last night and this morning. Collin & Erroll (one of Avery's Uncles on the Poage side) are busy working away!

Wedding weekend with friends!

I got to hang out with some of my best friends again this weekend and it was SO much fun! On Saturday night, Miss Melissa Turner became Mrs. Jon Babich! It was such a beautiful wedding and everyone had an absolute blast. The weekend was so special as we watched our friend GLOW with beauty as she walked down the aisle. (I seriously have the world's most beautiful friends... I'm not kidding.)

My guardian angels were on "super-duty" as I had a blow-out on the drive to Fort Worth. I could feel the car acting funny and unfortunately I've had about 3 prior blow-outs so I can tell the warning signs... Sure enough, as I dialed Collin from my cell to say, "I think I'm about to have a blow-out" I heard a HUGE POP and then flapflapflapflapflap before Collin even answered the phone. I was able to safely make it to the side of the road and then the most amazing thing happened-- FRIENDS to the rescue!! Since I was just inside 820 and almost to Fort Worth, Collin was 30 minutes away. I called my other friends who were headed to the church to tell them I'd be late and everyone sprung into action to help the fat lady stranded on the side of the road! :) Within minutes, Randy (Lindsay's hubby) was there with me to change the tire... Lea (one of my really good friends) spotted me driving to the church and looped back around to pick me up... then Lea's husband Donny came later to retrieve the gimpy toyota and drive it to the church for me. The entire problem was solved before Collin even arrived on scene. All-in-all...... I was MAJORLY high-maintenance that day. (Sorry guys!! Thanks for all the help!!)

But at the end of the busy weekend, it sure was fun to get to catch up with some of our sororrity sisters we haven't seen in years, and others we just saw a couple of weeks ago, but already miss! Friends are such a blessing...

CONGRATULATIONS, Jon & Melissa!!! I hope you guys are having a WONDERFUL time in Hawaii!!