Pics of Trystan July 28th

Daddy getting ready to go in!!!
6lbs 8oz

In recovery

Mommy & Trystan

The Birth Day of Trystan Elle Harris

I know!!! Its 5 months later.....but here it is :) Trystan was a stubborn little girl that broke her Mommy's water around 1pm on Monday July 27th in CHARLOTTE!!! So Daddy quickly and safely brought us to High Point to prepare for Trystan's birth. Of course we went in with a birth plan. All natural might I add!!! But Trystan had another idea! I refused the Pitocin for as long as the doctor would let me! 12 hrs or so. Once they began the Pitocin and cranked it up to the max---my contractions were strong, but too far apart. I dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced, but on the last exam 24 hrs after my water had broken Miss Trystan Elle had moved back up and she was no longer engaged. I could have waited 4 more hours with contractions, no drugs, and a narrow pelvis as my doctor called it :-O and hoped that she moved back down, but by that point I was exhausted and didn't want to take the chance. So ta--da-- she was born via Csection the very thing I absolutely did NOT want. The doctors took great care of me so it was a pleasant experience. Daddy was able to capture it all on video as you can see to the left. He was able to go with Trystan directly from the OR to oversee her APGAR and first bath! She was brought in to the recovery room where I was able to snuggle and breast feed. We were able to head home the Saturday following. Did I mention Daddy's lease in Charlotte ended on the 29th of July...yes the day after Trystan was born!! He was able to put it off until Friday, but he had to pull an all nighter moving his things to High Point directly after Trystan was born!! So needless to say her birth and his move were nothing short of eventful! We are so blessed to have this precious little girl in our lives. She surprises us each and everyday with new things. I'll be sure to post some past and present pics!!! And hopefully more video eventually!!

With Love,
Kristen

What You Have Been Missing...Sorry!!!

Heeellllooooo!!! Anybody out there???!!! I hope you have given up on me! LOL It seems as though I'm starting all my blogs apologizing for being so slack...so once again I'm asking forgiveness for my lack of writing. Please Please??!! Forgive me??!!

Since I've been away from the blog world Trystan has continued to get bigger and stronger and so have I LOL!! or at least my tummy has :-) As I am writing this we are at the 37 weeks and 1 day mark leaving us only 20 days until her official due date of August 10th. I actually think I'm either having first time Mommy confusions or BH contractions as I type. My fear is that I'm going to be in labor and not know it, but all of you Mommies keep reassuring me that
"YOU WILL KNOW!!!"

I'll try to hit the highlights of everything that has been going on since our last update. We did go in for another US at 28 weeks to check on Trystan's growth again. She was still measuring 1 week behind, but at 2.5 lbs she was considered average and the doctor was no longer concerned. During this ultrasound the tech was able to get some beautiful pics of Trystan. As her Daddy mentioned she was full of smiles!!! Here are just a couple of the 3D/4D shots:

Can you tell who she resembles most??!! I also had the glucose screening for gestational diabetes and everything came back negative so we are good and healthy! and thank goodness Mommy doesn't have to give up those sweets LOL.

In May we went to visit Cornerstone Pediatrics and have decided to go with that practice for Trystan's care. Like the first time parents we are...we had lots of questions for the doctor and he was very friendly, informative, and patient with our questions. They will come and do Trystan's very first exam at the hopsital when she is born! I'm glad we were able to take the time to meet the doctor first so that we can feel good about the care she will receive right after birth. They even have a practice within walking distance from the house! I myself am excited about that!!! I'm hoping that everything goes well and we continue to love the physicians there. We also attended Expectant Parenting classes at the hospital where Trystan will be born. The teacher was fabulous and just happens to be a lactation consultant for the hospital. The classes included Labor, C-section, Breastfeeding, and How to Care for a Newborn as the topics we covered in the 4 week series. A lot of the info we both already knew, but it was nice hearing it again from someone and being in a class with a bunch of couples going through the same things. The breastfeeding class was the most informative for me and gave me a really positive outlook on the choice of breastfeeding. I'm definitely hoping that I can experience breastfeeding Trystan to not only provide her with the best nutrition, but to share that special bond with her as well. We learned how important Daddy is going to be during this time as well. Since I will be going back to work I plan to pump so guess who gets to teach Trystan to drink from a bottle??!!! Daddy Dougie to the rescue!!!! The nurse said it was best for Daddy to take on this task and I know that he will be looking forward to spending that special Daddy Daughter time with Miss Twiggy. Twiggy is her first nickname given to her by her Daddy. We'll see soon if she still has those twig legs that she showed us in the ultrasound early on! Of course those long legs run deep in the Harris genes so I'm not doubting it!

Our next exciting news in May was finding out that Miss Trys will be joined by Mr Kingston Victor Harris in October 2009!!! Troy's brother/sis-n-law found out the sex of their baby!!! They are 10 weeks behind us and we are so excited to meet Kingston also.

Ashley, Martin, and Kingston

Last, but definitely not least I celebrated my first Mommy's Day or Mommy to be Day that is :-)

Troy Douglas treated me to his famous french toast which happens to be my favorite and a sweet card that read "This little Twiggy wishes you a happy first Mother's Day" I actually was able to read the card without crying!!! I did however tear up. It was exciting and very special to be acknowledged as a Mommy. I can't wait to share this day with Trystan in the years to come! We made our way to Wilkesboro for church and spent the rest of the day with the other mommies in our lives Nana Jackie, Aunt Ploofy, Mommy to be Ashley, and cousin Tina.

Trystan and I celebrated Mommy's Day with her Nonnie Lisa at the annual chili cookoff at the local Farmer's market a day early.

Me prior to sweating in the heat at the Chili Cookoff!!!

We settled into our busy schedule in May and embraced all events and pregnancy fun to be had! Its amazing how quickly you can forget the specifics, but overall this pregnancy has been great for me. We are staying as "healthy and boring patients" at the doctors office! I did not meet my weight goal, but I'll share that funny story with you in my next update. It came during our 32 week visit!! I'm becoming quite a night owl in the last stretch of pregnancy, but even for me its past my bedtime now!! I will be back to fill you in on the lovely showers that were given to us for Miss Trystan and all of the exciting events in June!!! Keep your eyes open!! There was of course Daddy's Day, a doctor's visit, a mucus plug scare, AND we got more exciting news about Trystan's 2nd cousin that will join us in November! Wheeeww I really am behind =-O !!!! Goodnight all!!!

Sweet Dreams

Kristen-n-Twiggy

Father/Daughter Conversations

First off...

It's been a long time...we shouldn't've left you...without a dope blog to read to!!! LOL points for anyone who recognized the old skool reference, but really, we apologize for not updating like we've been accustomed to doing. Life has been any and everything but stalled these days! And without further ado, here's a quick update--and more coming soon!:-)

I, Daddy Dougie (aka Father Troy), has consistently been a conversationalist, especially when it comes to my daughter. Ever since Mommy Kris and I had known about her existence, I've had several 'talks' with Baby Trystan. Although her growth has changed in the past several months, my conversations have not. I always give her that 'baby girl gibberish' speech about how Trystan is doing in there and how much Daddy loves her. I was unaware of whether or not she could hear me...until her 28th week ultrasound. Yes, we were able to see her before, but we had to get another ultrasound scheduled because she was a little 'stubborn' and didn't wanna show all of her heart chambers. So, right before the follow-up, I felt compelled to give lil' Twiggy (her nickname) a pep talk. It went something along the lines of, "Hey Twiggy Poo!...Mommy and Daddy wanna see you up today. Be a good little girl and show Daddy whachugot! I know you're moving in there!"

And Trystan responded with what you see up there!!! It's the first 4D smile I've ever seen on a ultrasound pic...now that's not your cue to go google or bing 'smiling 4d pics' and prove me wrong!!!LOL

As soon as I saw her smile, I felt soooo much like a Proud Papa and knew she was ok, happy, and healthy in the womb. And I was confident that the two of us will be having plenty conversations pre- and post-birth. I'm also proud that she know's her daddy's touch too. We'll both get into little nudge 'talks' too. I'll rub mommy's belly and nudge her a little bit, and she'll kick or nudge back in return. It indeed makes my day...EVERY day.

Trystan Elle: New Photos!

The dr's office finally got in touch with the 21st century and had our pics of Baby Trystan on cd!!! Mommy and Daddy are very thankful so now we don't have to whip out the old school VCR now :-) Take a look and see if she's starting to look like her mommy and/or daddy! When we first caught a glimpse of her, she was steady eatin' and sucking on her thumb. She's currently measuring a few weeks behind so hopefully she will be ok when we go back in a few weeks. I told Mommy to get up on those protein shakes!:-) Enjoy the video!!!

Week 26...Here we Come!!

My how time flies! Is that spelled right?! I still have a major case of the preggo brain by the way. How long has it been since I've updated you guys?? 4-6 weeks I think..... So let me try to recapture all that has happened. I have started to feel Miss Trystan moving A LOT! She is very active. I think she takes after her Daddy and loves a good workout. If I made a guess I would say she enjoys TaeBo, Yoga, and P90x. Which happens to be Daddy's newest adventure and when he has it on the TV working out she is staying right there with him. We definitely have a Daddy's girl on our hands. She loves to hear him talk and touch her Mommy's belly. If there is anybody that can get her moving it is him. It is so cute :) You will be glad to know that I have not had another episode of Morning Sickness thank goodness! Overall I am really enjoying the experience of being pregnant and I think I might be one that will miss it when its over. LOL I'm sure Trystan will keep me busy and her cuddles and kisses will replace the kicking sensation in my tummy I love so much. So here is a list of the things I love most about being pregnant and then the things I hate most:

Love~Trystan's kicks~Belly rubs~Being spoiled by Daddy and everyone else for that matter~Food that tastes soooo good~The overwhelming feeling of joy knowing I am the "home" for my child right now~My round tummy~The way Daddy's face lights up when he feels Trystan move~Nana Jackie's excitement about her 1st grandbaby~Nana's pity for preggo and cleaning my house~Having to have no excuse for relaxing

Hate~the time when my belly feels like it could pop at any moment~acid reflux~when Trystan decides to chillax on my bladder causing me to pee every 15 mins~Sleeping is mucho uncomfortable right now~Unexplained emotions at any given time~constipation (wow TMI!!)~Finding something to wear when maternity clothes are too expensive and mostly hideous~Giving up my heels although I have found the wedges!~Anxiety of childbirth!!!

Of course the things I hate are easier to describe than all the things I love and of course the things I love outweigh the things I hate! Nothing could be more rewarding except for maybe when she gets here :)

We had a great Easter with the family in Wilkes!!! Daddy directed the Easter play at church so it was a weekend event! I baked an Irish Creme Triffle and Strawberry shortcake on Good Friday, we headed up to Wilkes on Saturday for play practice, got down to Jonesville to see Grandma Harris (I just love her to death!!), and headed back to Wilkes for the evening. Sunday morning we had sunrise service and the play which was a great success!!!! Breakfast and a nap and back to worship at 11!!! Then lunch with the fam :-) Uncle Martin and Auntie Ashley hosted us at their house and we grubbed, grubbed, and grubbed some more. 2 preggos in one household made for interesting food choices!!! Chicken & dumplings on Easter?? Yep!!! The pictures are scattered throughout this post....One picture I failed to take :( Bad Mommy....is Daddy's first Easter basket from Trystan. It was complete with his favorite candies, chewing gum, snacks, and a special book "Why a Daughter Needs Her Dad" His reaction was priceless, but I'm sure when Trystan is able to hand him his basket that will take the cake! He is going to be one spoiled Daddy too! No worries for Mommy...Trystan will handle Daddy's fan club with a vengeance! LOL

We had our 25 week visit last Tuesday and another ultrasound. This time she decided to let the tech get measurements of the anatomy that they couldn't get too last time. Everything looked normal with her weighing in at 1lb 8oz and BPM was 145. They did notice that I or we are measuring 8 days behind schedule so we have another appointment in 3 weeks for a repeat ultrasound just to make sure she is growing up to speed and the dreaded glucose screening. I do not look forward to drinking that nasty sugary substance Blechhhhh! I did put on a whopping 7lbs since my last visit! That brings my total to 14.5 pounds with 15 weeks to go :-/ The nurse and doctor were not concerned, but you know I had to ask questions!!! They just said that there can be a growth spurt here and there and it is fine as long as I don't continue it every visit! And if the 7lbs were junk I needed to cut back...Junk who said I ate junk? hehehehe Sweets are my favorite :( So Daddy asked if there was something I could add to my diet to help T grow and my immediate thought is Hey! She is not getting protein shakes to bulk up in there Mr.! LOL Well the doctor made me look stupid! She said protein shakes are great if I like them LOL Daddy proceeded to stick his tongue out at me. We see who is still the kid at heart!!! Giggle.....so I'm going to google high protein foods and see if I can get those in my daily diet. I am fine with Trystan being as small as she likes ;-) as long as she is healthy. The prediction right now is that she will be less than 7lbs. I see a new poll coming on!!! We are busy busy parents already and we like to call it going on tour! Our tour officially started on April 28th and I'm not sure when we will get a break!

It goes a little something like this!:

April 28th

25 week appointment and ultrasound

Meet Suzee (Trystan's official daycaregiver like that title?!) We feel so blessed to have found somebody that will keep Trystan in their home. We feel really good about the family and look forward to getting to know them more since they will techinically be Daddy's neighbors also.

May 1st

Nana's first stay in Jtown! Yay!!!!

May 2nd

Race for the Cure!!! Saving the TaTa's

Daddy walked with us...he was the picture taker ;-)

May 3rd

Daddy takes a trip to West VA to help Pop Pop!

May 4th

Meeting our 1st pediatrician (Cornerstone Pediatrics) We have heard lots of good things!

1st class for Expectant Parents @HPRHS...this should be interesting!

May 6th

Meeting another pediatrician (I think!! if I wrote it down right!) Greensboro Peds

May 9th

Celebrating Tara's graduation!

May 10th

Mommy's Day

"Daddy & Nana on Easter"

~You won't catch Nani on camera~LOL

Then we will start another week of expectant parenting classes and whatever else may fall on the calendar!!! Like painting the nursery for Daddy!

Only 2 more weeks of this school semester for Mommy!!! Pray that I pull out those A's!!! I will taking off summer and fall to prepare for Trystan's arrival and enjoy being a Mommy. Hitting the books again in January!

Three important dates in May!!

Ashley 13 weeks Me 23 weeks

May 19th~ Ashley & Martin find out the sex of the baby! Trystan's cousin!! We are so excited to be doing this together. Nana Jackie is litterally going to have her hands and arms full this year!!

May 20th~28 week visit, ultrasound, and glucose screening

May 31st~Trystan's first shower!!! Thanks to Lisa & Betty Sue for planning!!

***We have 3 planned so don't worry you will get an invitation to one!! We want to see everyone :-)***** I think we are finally registered everywhere with the help of Stephanie and Daddy himself!!! Check us out on Babies R Us, Target, and WalMart

I think I have covered everything LOL!!! Like always we miss everyone that we haven't gotten to see or speak too and look forward to seeing you soon! Keep us in your prayers and thoughts as I begin to waddle through these hot summer months! Use this blog to leave comments, tips, and advice...We need it all :-)

Hugs & Kisses!

Kristen & Trystan (sounds like double trouble huh?!)

Morning Sickness....Say What??!!

You are seeing green just like I was Sunday morning.....that's right people...Daddy Dougie's worst fear came true....I got sick :( I didn't feel good as I rolled over in bed Sunday morning and Daddy suggested I stay home and rest, but as he calls it my "Take over the world" attitude kicked in and I insisted I was FINE and I was going to church too! I made it out of the house, but not too far down the highway I felt the churning of the tummy begin. Immediately I knew what was coming and decided it would be best that I didn't make that hour trip to the 'Boro. Troy absolutely freaked out. When he said he has a phobia he meant it! He was ready to pull over and put me out of the car LOL Not really, but you know what I mean. So Nani Lisa came to the rescue. Daddy dropped me off there and she took me back home. 3 times hanging over the toilet later I finally knocked out in my little fortress I have built of pillows on the bed. I'm feeling much better, but totally wigged out about this new symptom. I am PRAYING that it does NOT come back!

On a good note!!! Stephanie took on the job of helping me finish getting registered. It took so much pressure off of me and felt so good to have her by my side. Thanks Stephanie!!! We love you! My registry is large, but mostly because I'm preggo brained and couldn't remember to tell Stephanie what I had already registered for....so for those going shopping for Trystan take your pick of the 4 swings I added LOL....... We are registered at Babies R Us and Target!! The baby shower plans are taking place so you guys will receive invitations sometime soon! Oh and hand me downs are a blessing so keep 'em coming! Little Miss Saniya shared some of her beloved clothes with Trystan and we are so very grateful. The preggo couple finally got out of the house Saturday night to watch the Heels with the Newbys! It was a good time and Saniya had us laughing all night. Daddy loves little girls already and his Miss Trys is only going to capture his attention even more! It is sooo cute and I can't wait to fall in love with this new person all over again.

My newest fear is childbirth itself. The day is inching closer.....Can't wait to meet Miss Trys, but not looking forward to the pain. I've picked out some reading materials to get me prepared, but I'll take all of the experienced advice I can get sooooo if you got some click below to leave a comment. I am also curious to hear what you guys have to say about breastfeeding. I'm determined to try it myself so if you have tips send 'em my way.

Next appointment!!! April 28th!!! 24 weeks and an Ultrasound. Maybe she will cooperate this time! Keep us in your prayers!!

Love you guys,
Kris & Trys