Dear Santa,

Daddy is such a jokester. Apparently, he decided to have a little fun with the big girls before they came downstairs on Christmas morning. It's a good thing Brooklyn knows his antics!!
Watch her face.....hehe!!

M's 2 Week Check

I successfully got all of the girls, including myself, fed and dressed and to Morgan's check-up at 9:00am ON TIME this morning!! (I also tackled Walmart afterwards and made it back in one piece, before the next feeding and without any meltdowns....yes!)

Anyways, a sigh of relief after our tiny sweetheart weighed in at 7lbs, 2oz!! She is in the 18th percentile, but growing and above birth weight. She had a great report and all is well. She is doing great with feedings and is a really good sleeper so far. We head back to the hospital tomorrow for her second newborn screening and to the pediatrician again at 1 month for another weight check only. I am so glad these places are literally less than 5 minutes from the house :)

Erin Hein
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Christmas 2013

The week before Christmas, my mom was at the house helping me with the girls because Aaron went back to work. They had a blast playing and doing crafts and coloring with my mom. They also did their annual cookie baking and I made fudge for our new neighbors and friends.

The big girls and Nana

We did take advantage of one of the days that Daddy was still home with us and got out of the house for a bit to do some errands. We stopped to enjoy some Christmas decorations and outside time at the Southlake Town Square.

Then, the weekend came and we cleaned up the house in preparation to host the Hein Christmas Gathering at our house. Church on Sunday morning followed by the big party that afternoon. It was fantastic!! Everyone brought delicious foods to munch on the whole time. The cousins wore each other out playing and running around upstairs. At one point, they hung out in the media room and watched The Polar Express while the adults got to enjoy some peaceful conversation and Chinese gift exchange. It was so fun; it felt a bit like our first couple Christmases together when there were no rugrats running around!

The Spread!

Aaron stealing Amanda (Dan's) leak frog sensors!!

The Hein Family including Gamma's mom (Kathy), Aunt (Janet) and sister (Anna)

We celebrated Gamma's mom's (Kathy) 70th birthday! The big kids decorated a gingerbread house together and got to exchange gifts among each other as well. They all were very excited about their gifts and it was just a joyous time with lots of family! What a blessing to be able to have everyone together!

Remi and Sullivan, Brooklyn and Cayleigh, Sydney and Claire

Opening gifts from one another

The finished product

Gingerbread House in the making

Happy 70th Kathy!

Brooklyn and Sydney

It seems like Christmas came and went like a flash :(

The 5 of us went to candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve and then went to see the drive-thru lights at Texas Motor Speedway. Brooklyn and Cayleigh opened up one gift that evening, matching pajamas for the night, and left cookies and milk for Santa. We read about the birth of Jesus from the bible and also T'was the Night Before Christmas before bed. They were so pooped, they fell fast asleep for the whole night.

Making goofy faces

Cayleigh was up before Brooklyn on Christmas morning, so she hung out and eventually woke B to go downstairs. Brooklyn got a new kick scooter and Cayleigh got a princess Little People castle from Santa!! Nana and Papa headed over that morning and showered the girls with tons of gifts. We hung out in our pajamas, ate french toast casserole and enjoyed the relaxed day with our new things. A beautiful way to celebrate the gift of giving and the birth of our Savior! It was a very merry time!

Coming down the stairs on Christmas morning

Late breakfast with Nana and Papa

Santa brought us a new baby sister!

Merry Christmas 2013

Nana

"You sure are lucky girls to have a Nana that loves you so much," I often tell Brooklyn and Cayleigh (now Morgan too).

My mom has been the most helpful and loving Nana during these past two weeks. She, of course, is always these things, but we have been so incredibly blessed to have her here helping us while we have welcomed the newest princess to the family chaos we call our lives!!

She has stayed at the house and played with the B and C, cooked, cleaned, ran errands and just been an extra hand around here. She took the girls to the hospital, took them home with her, and then came back later this week when Aaron returned to work. It has been so wonderful to have her around and watch her simply loving on everyone. We sure are spoiled and we couldn't possibly thank her enough!!

We just love her to pieces!!

Santa Photo

While Brooklyn and Cayleigh were with Nana and Papa, they got to go to Prairie Lights!! They had a blast! Cayleigh wanted no part of being anywhere close to Santa, but Brooklyn was ultra excited to sit with him and tell him what she wanted for Christmas.

I just adore this picture of our biggest, big girl!!

Weight Check

After a few quiet first days at home with Morgan, big sisters Brooklyn and Cayleigh returned Sunday from spending some time at Nana and Papa's house. We were so lucky to have their help during that time!

Monday morning came and Brooklyn was back at school and the "busy" life was back in gear (Aaron still at home for Monday and Tuesday). We headed back to the pediatricians office to see if Morgan had gained any weight since her initial visit on Friday. 6lbs, 9 oz.....only 1 oz; not exactly what the doctor nor us were hoping for, but she is still peeing and pooping great, so we will go back at 2 weeks. She eats on average every 2.5-3 hours. At night, she has slept a few times for 4.5 hours! We have tried to avoid her going for a very long time between nursing just because we really don't want any weight concerns for her, but Mommy has accidentally slept through some alarms :(

Everything has been going wonderfully so far with our little Morgan; just a super easy baby! This is what she does majority of the time!!

Big Sisters

Home and Healthy

We were given the green light to go home from the hospital after Morgan's positive 24 hour check. Unfortunately, it took forever as usual, but we made it home just before 11 pm last night. We were grateful to be able to sleep in our own bed.

Morgan has been an eating and pooping (big time pooper!) machine and jaundice levels are very low. This makes us super happy parents!

This morning, we had an appointment with the pediatrician and it was the same good report for our sweetheart. She now weighs 6lbs, 8oz and all is well. Because we were released so quickly from the hospital, we will do another weight check on Monday just to make sure things are continuing to go well.
Another blessing from God!

Morgan Alese

Well, the new nurse came in and decided it was time to rock the boat! I was at an 8 and delivered our sweetheart just about 20 minutes later!! Just a few pushes and she was crying in my arms!

Morgan Alese Hein arrived at 8:12pm weighing 6lbs, 14oz and 20 inches long!!!

Both her and mommy are doing great and she is feeding like a veteran instantly. We are so incredibly blessed! She was certainly going to come on her own time and it was well worth the wait all day. She got a bath and has a clean bill of health. Gamma and Gampa Hein got to meet her tonight and so did Nana de Wolfe. We are just so appreciative of everyone's well wishes and prayers.

8 is Great

I am now at an 8!!

Erin Hein

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Second Shift

We began with the very end of the night staff and now just said goodbye to Kacie, my day nurse. This little one could possibly make us hold out until tomorrow. Oh my! Say it isn't so!

Erin Hein

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Relief

Went ahead and had an epidural administered to help relax a bit. I just know all my tensing is keeping our sweet Morgan in there. Feeling better and the catheter is in. At 4 cm, hoping for the pace to pick up. I am dying to hold her!

Erin Hein

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Moving Along

The nurse came in to check me and said I was dilated to 2cm. Not but 10 minutes after she left, my water broke on its own! Contractions, obviously, are getting a bit more intense and this makes me a happy mommy :)

Brooklyn and Cayleigh are have been visiting with Nana de Wolfe for almost an hour. They must be my good luck charms.

Erin Hein

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No progress

I am still only 1 cm and therefore she did not break my water yet again.

Erin Hein

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Patience

No news is good news, right?!?
Not for me :(

I am super impatient and was looking forward to "oh, it's your third, she should slide right out!" and it's definitely not the case with Morgan. Feeling discouraged, I inquired as to why Dr. Webster chose not to break my water when she visited a few hours ago. The nurse told me that typically if baby is pretty high in the cervix, having your water broken too early leaves the ambilical cord loose and could cause it to come out before baby, leading to an emergency C-section. No thank you!

While I am totally NOT excited about this process taking forever, I want nothing more than a safe arrival of our little sweetheart. So, no water broken yet, but hoping for soon!!

Nothing exciting to report!!

Erin Hein

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Gonna Be Late

Earlier this morning when they administered the pitocin, Morgan didn't exactly have a good reaction! She was a bit too tense continuously, so they pulled back on the med and have gradually been increasing it back. Contractions are still going, but we are on the S.L.O.W. train today.

Erin Hein

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D Day!!!

It's Delivery Day! We are rocking and rolling with the IV in and pitocin going. Contractions started. I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. My guess is another late afternoon delivery, so just going with the ride.

Erin Hein

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Stuck Inside

While we had a stressful start to our ice days, since we have been back home, things have been pretty relaxed. We've finished up decorating the Christmas tree, baked cookies, have done some crafts, read lots of Christmas books and watched some Christmas shows, colored, had our first fire in the house and finally went out to play in the ice/snow! I will take these days anytime :)

Taking turns stirring in the chocolate chips