Trip to Georgetown!

We could not wait to make a trip to Georgetown to see Mimi and Poppi as well as other family! It was a quick trip, just one night, but we enjoyed every minute! We got there late and had a delicious dinner with my mom and Allan along with the most amazing banana pie for Thomas's birthday! The next morning, Thomas and Allan went and played golf while my mom and I slept in! :) My mom made another wonderful meal for lunch while Holly and I enjoyed the view from their deck...it's literally heaven on earth (you can get a little glimpse in the pictures below). Here are a few pics from our trip!

Holly taking over my bed in the morning!

A favorite time with my sweet little girl...1st thing in the morning!

Five generations of family have slept in this bed~Holly's great-great grandmother ("Mommie" Gillette), great grandmother ("Mimi" Gillete), grandmother (my mom, "Mimi" Baker-Lambert), me and now Holly~very special!

Mimi and Holly

I can't get enough of her!

Holly in one of her favorite places....her sling!

My Aunt Ellen and Holly

Poppi and Holly-she's cracking up...too cute!!

We had such a wonderful time and look forward to making many more memories!!!

Holly's Favorite Positions to Sleep

So, I got to taking quite a few pictures of our sweet Holly sleeping because I always thought she looked so precious and then when looking at all of them, I realized the trend....she always either has a hand somewhere on her face or both arms raised up over her head. Here are some pictures I captured!

I swear I didn't position her in this one!

Our First Walk and Mom & Holly's Complications

The weather has been absolutely perfect and we couldn't wait to get outside for a walk! It's great exercise for my leg as well. For those of you that don't know, four hours of labor left me with two complications....one being a weak right leg due to femoral nerve compression damage. I basically couldn't extend me knee and had a weak quadricep. I'm a ways from running and stairs are still a challenge but it will heal...they say it can take up to 10 weeks.

So, here's a pic of us getting ready for our first walk!

My other complication was having to come home with a foley catheter due to excessive swelling from long labor. Five days after the delivery day, we had to go in for Holly's first pediatric appointment and I had the lovely foley bag with me. It was also the day I was to remove it and attempt to get by without it which was, thankfully, a success!

I had some cargo pants on and clipped it to one of the side pockets....Thomas had to take a picture saying...."only you could wear a foley bag in style!" Kinda silly, but here's the pic with it attached to my right leg....

So, Miss Holly had a minor complication from labor. She got a little scab on the back of her head that we couldn't believe turned into a little heart!

Thankfully, for the most part, Holly entered this world so perfectly and without any issues! She has slept and fed well from the beginning and 1 month later, she continues to thrive!

Newborn Pictures!

Ten days after Holly's birth day, my dear friend, Jenifer McNeil Baker took these amazing photos! Holly slept through the entire shoot....such a trooper! Here's a few of our favorites! Thanks so much, Jen!! You captured the perfect pics! I just love them all!

If you would like to view them all or want to order any, you can go to this link:

http://jenifermcneilbaker.exposuremanager.com/g/holly_newborn.

Holly Anne Halka

10 days old

You are such a beautiful blessing, Holly! We love you to pieces and are enjoying every second with you....even those middle of the night feedings! You are one hungry girl!! ;)

Welcome to Our Blog and to Holly's Birth Day!

I can't tell you how excited I am to start sharing the story of our sweet new addition, Holly! It's not only to keep our family and friends up to date but it's also something that I can print into an album that will be something we'll always treasure!

Here's a sneak peak at her newborn pictures that our dear friend, Jenifer McNeil Baker did for us!

The story began on New Years Day (1/1/10)! We were home with my dad who had just undergone surgery that prevented him from having a massive heart attack. His right coronary artery was 99% blocked and he had a stent put in. It was quite the scare, but we were so thankful it was prevented! It was a time when the importance of family was magnified and I couldn't help but count my blessings. Little did we know the day he came home, we would be given another blessing....a positive pregnancy test! :)

Holly at 15 weeks

For those of you who didn't know, Thomas and I chose not to find out the sex of our baby until the long awaited birth day; however, I was sure we were having a boy. I had done all those silly tests and by all means, the ladies at the nail salon said I was having a boy along with just about everyone I came in contact with. Apparently I presented only how someone who was having a boy would! ;)

Needless to say, on Sept 11th at 2:50 in the morning I could not believe my eyes when I met the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen!! I will never forget the doctors words when he said, "we have a baby....girl!" She was just perfect and we were instantly in love with her!

Our Sweet Holly Anne Halka

September 11, 2010

7lbs 3 oz

19 3/4 inches

~Our 1st Family Photo~

It all started on the morning of Sept 10th when I went in for my regular scheduled doctors visit 3 days before my due date and was told it was likely that I would have this baby over the weekend and that the doctor on call would deliver me. I hadn't imagined going through labor with a different doctor! We had built such a great relationship with my OB over the past 9 months and had such a peace in knowing our baby and I would be in great hands if there were any complications. After much thought and prayer, we made the decision to be induced. So, at 2:30pm on Friday, Sept 10th we left our home and headed to the hospital. Before we left, we put on some music for our dogs (call us crazy!!), and the song that came on stopped us in the rush of it all and made us realize "What a Wonderful World" we live and what a wonderful life we have! Our little house of two was about to forever be changed to a sweet three. It brought tears of joy to my eyes!

Our family before Holly!

So, to make a very long story somewhat short....at 11:00 on the evening of Friday Sept 10th I was 10 cm dilated and 100% effaced...I was READY! The most amazing friends and family headed out of the room and waited, us all thinking this just might be a Sept 10th baby!

Here's some pictures before Holly arrived:

Cheryl (Thomas' mom) and I

My Family

My Amazing Friends!

Well, hours went by and our little one was positioned stubbornly and didn't quite feel ready to show herself until 2:50 in the morning! The talk of C section and forceps had been discussed in that last hour of labor and all I kept saying was "WE CAN DO THIS!"..."WE CAN DO THIS" and I just kept on and WE DID!!!! I was determined and so were my wonderful husband, nurse and OB! I had the perfect team!!

Here they are! Check out Holly's eyes! TOO CUTE!

Here are a few pictures that were captured after Holly arrived with

our special friends and family!

My dear friends, Kara

And Tara

My friends from Parkland, Katy & Jen

And my sweet friend, Renea from Parkland and her 4 month old...soon to be one of Holly's first friends!

Our dear friends, Beth and Sanjay

Thomas's good friends, Chad, Krystal and Kyle

Thomas's good friends, Steve and Jaki and their sweet family!

That expression of my dad is pure love! A favorite of mine!

And how sweet is this of Holly and my dad's hand!?!?!

My mom

My brother, David

My Sister-in-law, Robyn

My Sister-in-Law, Audra

My mother-in-law, Cheryl

Daddy and his little girl

Mommy and Holly

Dear Sweet Holly,

We can't tell you how happy we are that you are finally here! As you can see, you are quite loved and will continue to be throughout your life! We can't wait to share each day with you and watch you grow! We hope you enjoy this blog someday as much as I know we will posting the days of your life!

We love you bunches and bunches!

Mom & Dad