Haley's Grand Entrance to the World

We still can't believe Haley is here. She just couldn't wait to get into this world and meet everyone. We had a feeling she would come early, but no one was more surprised Tuesday morning than me when I woke up and my water had broken. Fortunately I was not feeling any pain yet so we were able to take our time and finish getting everything together that we had on our list to take to the hospital. We had most of the stuff together, but were not fully prepared.

By the time we got to the hospital around 7:00, they said I was already 3 cm. They hooked me up to the monitors and said that I was definitely having the baby that day. To keep my mind off of what was going on, I decided to send some text messages and emails for work. Everyone thought I was stupid for working, but it helped me keep my mind off of things. Around 10am I started getting really uncomfortable and decided to get the epidural. That was when the text messages ended! Boy was the epidural a blessing! The nurse assisting with the delivery was so sweet. Her name was Kara. Dr. Murthy was on call that day and did an excellent job of coaching me through the delivery process. Mike (AKA "Coach") was so excited he was all smiles in the delivery room. He did a great job of trying to keep me distracted and encouraging me through the process. I think he was a little disappointed that he worked so hard to learn breathing techniques and how to time contractions but since I was doing well on pain management early on and my water broke first, he didn't have to do either. He still was the best coach a girl could ask for! My mom was in there as well and I am so glad she got to share the special moment when Haley arrived.


Haley weighed 6 lb. 9 oz. and was 19.25 inches long. She was born at 4:10pm on November 25, 2008. Mike thought it was pretty funny all of the "10's" we kept seeing (Mike's baseball number was 10). We were in room 3110, she was born at 4:10, and I was in labor for 10 hours. Pretty funny coincidence.








Most all of the family made it for the big day. It was so special to have everyone there with us. We are so blessed to have wonderful families.

We are still adjusting to life with a newborn and trying to get her on a schedule. She is a very good baby though. She looks so much like Mike in so many ways. Only thing we see of me in her yet is maybe her ears and possibly her nose. It is pretty cute though that she is taking after her daddy.

More updates to come of her first pediatrician appointment and some other random shots of her first week in this world. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers as we adjust to this precious gift.

The Nursery

We are still continuing to get things to go in Haley's nursery so that it is fully "stocked" and ready for her arrival. I thought I would share a few pictures taken recently in the nursery for those of you who wanted an additional "sneak peak" of our progress. Only a few more things left to go and it is done!

Mike put his artistic talents to work and created this adorable artwork for Haley's room. We now have it framed and on the wall. It looks so good!

Still so much to do...

There is still so much left to do before Haley gets here! I thought I was prepared at home, but as we keep getting gifts, I realize more and more how we don't have stuff as organized as it probably should be. We are getting close though so that is a relief. Now if I could just get close at work, I would be a happy girl!

Mike practiced putting together the pack n' play so that we know how to set it up for those first few nights when Haley is home. It was a lot harder than we thought it would be, but we finally figured it out!

Mike had a fun time folding all of her clothes and trying to figure out which type of outfit was a onesie, a footed sleeper, or a two piece. It was pretty funny.

It has been quite a challenge trying to figure out where to put all of her clothes! I have no idea how to organize the drawers so that it makes sense. We finally just decided to put them in there and when she gets here we know we will likely have to move things.

Mike's Work Surprise Shower

Everyone at Danker pulled a good one on the dad-to-be and threw a shower last week. They had a cute cake, balloons, and a ton of presents for us. Everyone chipped in and got something to donate to the basket. We got tons of stuff for Haley that we can't wait to use...homemade hair bows, bottles, car seat toys, clothes, a tummy play mat, safety products, you name it! We even got a pair of pink Georgia booties! It was really sweet of them to think of us.

Hometown Shower

It was so great to be around family and friends for the Bainbridge shower on October 25. We are so blessed to have such a loving family that was willing to put on an awesome shower for us! Mama and Becky did so much to make it special for us.
I was so happy Grandma Davis was there to share the special day.

My sister did the neatest thing!! She made a diaper wreath for us that has a sign in the center where you write the baby's birth weight, length, etc. She spent a lot of time working on it and it turned out so good! Her friend Jackie helped her on it too. I can't wait to get it hung on Haley's door and get to fill in the information when she is born! Aunt Becky Rocks!

We had a ton of food! It was pretty neat because the lady that did the food for our wedding was the one who did the food for the shower. It was yummy and we had a lot of leftovers. And look what a great job she did of displaying it!

Look at all the presents for our spoiled little girl! We got some really neat stuff. Lots of diapers which will be useful, some cute outfits, and a high chair. Mom Judy, Pops, and Lorie came early to deliver their gifts on their way to the FSU game. So we were glad to get to see them while we were home.

It was a great weekend but I was kind of sad to go because I don't plan on taking another trip South for several more weeks. One thing is for sure, it will definitely be a different holiday season this year for the Parsons household!

Odds and Ends

Thought I would share a recent photo that was taken. You can see that little girl growing pretty rapidly now!

We have been really busy lately getting ready for Haley's arrival. Here are some of the things we have been working on (more photos to come soon):

Mike did a great job of hand painting Haley's letters to go on the wall above her crib. Thank God I have an artist for a husband that knows how to mix paint and has a steady hand to paint them!

Here he is applying them to the wall. We were proud of our "leveling system" to be sure they were straight. (copyright pending!) :)

The final product!

We also bought a table to go next to the comfy glider in her room. I needed something to stow snacks for late night feedings for me and to sit things on when two hands are not enough!

Mike had a fun time assembling our stroller and car seat system. We are going to practice putting the car seat in the cars this week. That will be an experience I am sure!

More to come soon from my baby shower in Bainbridge this past weekend!

Another Great Shower with Great Friends

We are so blessed to have good friends to support and encourage us during this fun time in our lives! Last Friday Juli Fields and Megan Morris hosted a baby shower at Hilltop Grille for the rest of my Athens friends. It was so much fun!

We had cupcakes for dessert (pink and chocolate of course) and they were yummy!















Blane must think I am an accident prone mother to be and gave me an "oopsie bear" that you can use to comfort a minor bump on the baby. As a backup, he gave me pink duct tape for those major accidents. It made for a fun shower gift, but I hope that I never have to use that!



















Megan has become quite the seamstress! She was so sweet to embroider two burp cloths and a receiving blanket for Haley. It was so fun to get stuff with her name on it.



Look at all of the cute little things for Haley. They had the idea to have an ornament theme to the first part of the shower, so it will be really fun each year now to take out those ornaments and remember this shower and my friends. I thought that was a really great idea. Of course Mike will have to be the one placing them on the tree this year or I might topple over and knock down the tree! Kristi put her creative mind to work and created Haley's first tailgate so she is ready for the 2009 football season (or our bowl game in January). Jennifer brought the cutest tummy time mat that was shaped like a cow and is SO soft! I love it. Katie gave us Haley's first jewelry, a bangle bracelet that she can wear for all of the pictures I am sure we will have of the little princess. She even brought a present that Kara picked out herself, a little piggy security blanket with her name embroidered on it. I can even (try to) stay organized with the car seat organizer! Nina gave us some precious black patent shoes that will go perfect with her Christmas dress. There were so many cute things this blog can go on for hours if I name them all and describe how I think Haley will enjoy them!

We are so blessed to have wonderful people in our lives. Thanks to Juli, Megan, Nina, Jennifer, Katie, Kristi, Angela, Renee, and Blane for coming and making it a special day!