December 20, 2013

Our Newest Baby

Hayden Gregory Joyner
December 19, 2013 at 12:44 p.m.
8 pounds, 3 ounces
20 inches long





We are so very proud of our precious boy! Today was such a wonderful day! Our Hayden arrived, and the excitement of learning the gender upon delivery did not disappointment. It was so fun! I think the docs and nurses thought it was fun, too, because it seemed like everyone was pretty excited for the big reveal in the operating room. Macey and Easton love him, and Macey already wants to hold him absolutely as much as possible. Thankfully, she's really great at it, so I know she'll be a huge helper! Easton is a proud big brother and especially loves Hayden's dark hair. I am so thankful for the prayers and positive thoughts from family and friends today. It couldn't have gone more perfect, and I totally felt the support from everyone!

December 18, 2013

39 Weeks

How Far Along: 39 weeks! TOMORROW is baby day!!!!!!

Baby is the size of: A watermelon. Yesterday, the lovely ladies in my office started a pool to guess gender, weight and length. The guesses for weight are ranging anywhere between 6 pounds 15 ounces to 10 pounds 2 ounces. I'm hoping for somewhere right in the middle.


Total weight gain: Right at 40 pounds. Could have done better, but it could have been much worse. I'm just thankful the holiday season arrived at the end of my pregnancy. I've eaten more goodies lately than any person should!

Sleep: Not great this week, but oh well. Last night, I felt like I was starting to get sick (both kids are sick at our house right now) so I took some Tylenol for the headache and sore throat...it never even crossed my mind that the medicine would help with my achy hips/back while I was sleeping, but it sure did! I actually slept very good last night.

Symptoms: Hmmm...still waddling around like a duck as this baby drops lower and lower. I was just telling Greg this morning that even if we didn't have a c-section scheduled tomorrow, I bet the baby would be here soon because my Braxton Hicks contractions have become more intense and I've started feeling pretty crampy off and on.

Movement: Still rolling with the homies in there--not as many hard kicks/jabs.

Maternity Clothes: All of them...except I did buy some super comfy fleece pants at Target last weekend that I've been wearing a lot!

Go-to eats: Just sugar of any kind. It's ridiculous. I'm like freakin' Buddy the Elf.

Best moment of the week: Watching Macey pull off the next to last number from our Baby Countdown calendar. She was so excited to see that we'll meet this baby TOMORROW.

Gender: I just don't know. For the record, the consensus at the office is boy, and I'm usually thinking boy, but sometimes...sometimes I think about a sweet baby Sadie.

What I’m looking forward to: TOMORROW, duh! Oh, I can't wait!

December 12, 2013

Just for fun...

A friend at work asked my guess for the baby's weight and height, and I thought that was a fun thing to think about!

My official guess is 8 pounds, 10 ounces and 21 inches long.

Here's the rundown for Macey and Easton:
M ( born at 39 weeks): 7 pounds even and 20 inches
E (born at 40 weeks): 8 pounds 6 ounces and 21.5 inches

December 11, 2013

38 Weeks


How Far Along: 38 weeks! We are eight days away from meeting this sweet baby! Unbelievable...

Baby is the size of: A pumpkin. That just sounds ridiculous...have you ever seen a baby come out as round as a pumpkin? As per usual, I think at this point all the various baby websites should say, "Your guess is as good as mine!" when it comes to the weight because my favorite site says, "anywhere from 6.2 to 9.2 pounds." Quite a range. Probably around 20-ish inches.

Sleep: Pretty good! Except for Saturday night. I went to bed and was fast asleep by 8:30 p.m. (hallelujah!), BUT I was wide awake for the day at about 3:30 a.m. Ridiculous. I just got up, cleaned the kitchen and watched about 74 episodes of Say Yes to the Dress until Greg woke up, too.

Symptoms: My belly gets in the way often these days. At my check-up this week, all was well. No dilation yet, but things are thinning and the head is lower, so even if a c-section wasn't scheduled for next week, we'd probably be meeting our sweet baby soon.

Movement: Definitely different now. Baby is getting big and running out of room. I still feel him/her every day, but it's obvious when baby's probably sleeping because there's no movement, then during wake-up time I can feel rolls and stretches, not so much kicks.

Maternity Clothes: As much as I love maternity clothes (I could wear stretchy jeans for the rest of my life), I'm kind of tired of my options. I'm sure all pregnant women feel like this toward the end, but nothing ever fits just right, and I've worn it all a million times. Oh well, I'd sacrifice fashion for a precious baby any day!

Go-to eats: I haven't been as hungry lately; I guess the baby's taking up so much room that my stomach can't get too full. However, I still just want sweets 24/7. I'm crossing my fingers that will subside soon!

Best moment of the week: Not baby-related, but over the weekend we were able to go to Breakfast with Santa at Cedar Hill Farms, and it was AMAZING. The kids loved it, and the entire breakfast was so well done. It was a really awesome morning.

Gender: I'm still on the boy train, but we shall see soon! Although this week, both kids have been saying it's a "Sadie Marie," so they're thinking girl now!

What I’m looking forward to: Hmmm...we have a few family festivities coming up this week/weekend, which are always fun. Plus, the kids' Christmas program at school is Friday, and I cannot wait for that! It was so precious last year when Macey was in it, and it'll be even more fun this year with both of the kids up there singing their little hearts out. In the baby realm, I'm excited for the weekend because it'll be our very last weekend as a family of just four. :-)

December 4, 2013

37 Weeks

How Far Along: 37 weeks! As of tomorrow, we're exactly two weeks away (or less) from meeting Baby J. At this week's check-up, the c-section was officially scheduled for December 19 at noon. Macey's c-section was at noon, too, so these two could end up being born at the same time. Wouldn't that be crazy? Her official entrance into the world was 12:39 p.m.

No matter what, this baby just can't decide to show up before Friday night because my dad and brother are out of town until then!

Baby is the size of: A winter melon. Basically, at this point, I think babies sizes must range a ton because every website says something different. Let's just say, Baby J's probably at least 19-20 inches and at least 6 1/2 pounds! From here on out, baby will just keep packing on the weight at a rate of about 1/2 an ounce each day. Oh, how I love a chubby baby!

Sleep: The past couple nights have been great, especially last night. I had a prenatal massage yesterday afternoon, and last night was the first night in a couple months that my hips haven't ached as I was trying to fall asleep. I'm counting down the days until I can sleep on my stomach again. How heavenly that day will be...

Symptoms: Definitely rocking the pregnant lady waddle, which isn't surprising given the baby's low position. As of Monday's check-up, I still hadn't started dilating, but the baby's position is even lower. I guess right now everything is just pretty typical...daily Braxton Hicks contractions, achy hips, pretty sleepy in the evenings...

Movement: Still pretty active little thing! But these days I feel more wiggles and rolls than actual jabs and kicks.

Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes. My favorites lately are leggings with baggy t-shirts!

Go-to eats: I haven't been as hungry lately; I guess the baby's taking up so much room that my stomach can't get too full.

Best moment of the week: Making a little baby countdown calendar for the kids. They take turns each day removing a number, and as of today we're 15 days away! It's a fun way for them to be involved, and I think it's especially helping Macey comprehend how much time is left a little more. I also packed my hospital bag over the weekend, which is always exciting. It's funny how much changes--I packed so much less for me and baby than when I was having my first!

Gender: I'm back on the boy train, but we shall see soon!

What I’m looking forward to: This isn't baby-related, but I'm really excited about this weekend because we have breakfast with Santa plans. The kids are so looking forward to it, and I am, too! I just hope this ridiculous ice storm they're predicting doesn't come to pass. I mean really, who has time for ice all over the roads?

December 1, 2013

Things That Make Me a Terrible Southerner

I am Southern through and through. Born and raised in Memphis, TN--and I love it here. I spent a summer living in NYC while in college, and while it was amazing, even then I knew I probably could never make it my home. Although it has some serious flaws, I love the South.

That being said, there are some major things that make me a terrible Southerner...
  • I won't drink tea. Sweet or unsweet, ice or no ice...it's disgusting. Of course (like a good Southern lady), I can pretend to like it and politely sip if it's the only option at a bridal shower or something, but ugh...just yuck.
  • I despise bacon. I know, I know...but seriously, even the smell grosses me out.
  • Apple pie? Disgusting. Really, in my opinion, all pie is gross except the chocolate fudge pie I make. And really the main reason I like that is because it's a lot like fudge (delicious) in a graham cracker crust, not a traditional pie crust.
  • You won't ever catch me hanging out in the woods. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the beautiful Earth God gave us, and I can take a day at the farm to visit some animals, but you'll most likely never catch me living too far away from a Target or going hunting. Basically, if something happens and we have to suddenly survive on our own out in the woods, I'll probably just immediately stop living. 
However, I don't think the Council of Southern Living* will take away my Southern status card or anything because I can say y'all and bless your heart with the best of them. Plus, as you can see, most of the things I associate with being purely Southern are food-related, and this ol' girl has no problem with a good home-cooked meal.

*I just made up the Council of Southern Living. I don't think it's a real thing, but now I'm thinking it should be.