Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Wishing you and your family a happy, restful, memorable holiday and all the best for this new year. We look forward to seeing you soon...

Happy Father's Day

Haynes family hanging out on Father's Day. Thanks Maga and David for spending time with us today.

Who's that over there?

Drew looking around at three months.
Stats: 17 lbs. 24.5 inches. Healthy, happy, smiles alot (dimples), coo's, talking (noises), rolls from tummy to back.
More to come, it's been awhile.

Happy Mother's Day...

It's only fitting that we post a Happy Mother's Day tribute to our favorite mom!

The one who's always there for us, loves us, prays for us, feeds us, comforts us, changes our diapers & clothes, holds us, plays ball with us, sings songs to us, reads to us, tucks us in...

Thank you for your sacrifice, for your unconditional love, for your never ending attention, for your serving heart, and the unfailing comfort that you provide.

Your hugs, your touch, your words, your smiles mean so much to us... and though we may not be able to communicate to you now how truly grateful we are, we hope that this is a small glimpse of our appreciation through Daddy of how we will be eternally blessed by all that you are, all that you do, and all of the times ahead that will leave a lasting impression on us.

We will look back as we are grown and always know that you, Mommy were the one that made such a difference in our lives, and our hearts will be forever shaped by you.

Praise God & thank God that you are our Mommy!

We love you Mommy,
Nathan & baby Drew

Drew is two month's old!

Drew's 2 month checkup indicated 14 lbs 8 oz. 24 inches. He has a little cold, but other than that doing well.
Christy has trained our son Drew to sleep up to 9 hours at night!!!
Typically down around 8, a feeding at 10 - 10:30, then up around 6am.
Hip Hip Hooray!!!

O' Brother where art thou?

Nathan here is being so sweet with his baby brother Drew. Check out the second one with Drew looking up to Nathan. We keep telling Nathan what a great influence he'll be on baby Drew, if he only knew.

Well, life here has been busy with both boys! All time one-on-one coverage & not much rest for us parents. It's amazing their development, and how quickly the changes come, like Nathan talking in sentences, hitting the baseball, kicking soccer ball around the cul-de-sac (he'll be 2 on May 31), Drew smiling, cooing baby noises, gripping, gaining neck & head strength, etc,... every day is something new.


I've found that with blogging, the investment of time it takes to post, sometimes takes a back seat to many other daily tasks. Thanks for being patient, and occasionally checking back ever so often. Feel free to shoot us an email to reach out as well and let us know how you're doing...

hayneshome@bellsouth.net

Happy camper...

Almost 6 weeks here and you can literally see Drew changing almost every day. He's cooing, smiling more, gained over 3 lbs to just over 12 lbs, around 24 iches long. Will add more as it comes to mind...

Give me a break...

more of Drew sleeping. It's so nice to have these little breaks, just wish they were longer. We'll get there soon. I think this was actually taken late evening.

Kudos to Christy for getting up with Drew in the early am hours to help him adjust to sleeping on his own in his crib.

More to come...

Goodnight Drew...

Asleep, temporarily...

We're starting to try our best to get Drew on a good routine now lately. We're taking as much sleep as we can get where ever possible (for all of us).
Just to reiterate, the transition has been rather better than anticipated with Nathan getting used to Drew being around.

Thanks again, so much, to those who have come up with meals for our family! We love you dearly.

Uncle Dave...

Meet uncle Dave.

From Easter 2008. Thanks for honoring us with your presence & bringing Liz to share her talents of incredible cooking!

Drew can't wait to see you both again...

Welcome to Moe's...

Our great friend Kerri brought us some scrumptious Moe's burritos Monday who was originally delayed from coming up this past Saturday when the tornadoes came through the city.

Kerri stated that she saw more of me in Drew than Nathan, we'll have to wait and see how that turns out. We agree that both Nathan & Drew are good blends of both Christy & I.

Drew is officially 2 weeks old now and we can physically see growth in his arms & legs. It will be another 2 weeks until he sees the pediatrician again for his check-up, but I'm guessing he's added between 10-14 ounces. All else is going well, we've been spending afternoons outside in this recent gorgeous weather, or out on strolls around the neighborhood.

Here's another just for fun to see the difference between Nathan & Drew. Nathan is not quite 22 months (bday 5/31).

Look into my eyes...

We've really been enjoying the last several days as a family of four.

It seems as Nathan is pretty used to having baby Drew around the house. He talks to him, has tried to push him in the swing, wants to help change diapers, brings his "pa" (pacifier), hat, & says "night baby Drew".

Drew is sleeping well, nursing well, he swings great, he cuddles nicely... there's not much else he really does right now. He's a wonderful baby, and we couldn't ask for a better transition to two. Thanks again for all of your prayers (specifically for the adjustment) and all of the best wishes sent.

We're looking forward to seeing more of you all soon as you come up to visit.

Mother's finest...

Drew's sweet little hands, rest assured someday will be handling things that mom never dreamed of; picking up bugs, throwing & catching balls, gutting fish, holding tools...

...as well as some she has; praising his God, praying with his wife, nuturing his babies, hugging his mom.

We'll be keeping this one of him at 7 days for the scrapbook.

Outside world, here I come...

It's about time we broke free of the four walls & breathe in some fresh air. It's out for our first walk in the double stroller and then off to our pediatrician for Drew's first visit. (Monday)

Ped visit went well, Drew's gained one ounce per day, back up to 8.7 (dropped to 8.1 after birth).

100%tile in height, 80%tile in weight, & 50%tile in head circumference. Coloring looks good; slight jaundice will go away with 10 minutes in sunlight each day. Bruising around eyes will dissipate in about four weeks (busted blood vessels). Circ was perfect, and healing terrifically.

All in all, he checked out well. We highly recommend Georgetown Pediatrics for anyone who's in search of an excellent, caring, thorough, professional practice. Locations in Dunwoody & Cumming. Email, or call Christy for details.

Finally, ladies, you will be proud of Christy as she's back into her original (pre-pregnancy for some) size jeans, and it hasn't even been one full week! "Yay!" she says & she's very excited.

Storytime just got a lot more interesting

We've mostly brought Drew into Nathan's routine, especially around naps & bedtime. Consistency is key, and our Nathan thrives on his routine since he knows what to expect.

We're usually in his reading chair, but tonight, a bit more room was needed to stretch out. Hopefully by Drew being held, or at least in the room, we can say that we started reading early. It's recommended as early as two weeks, so we're a bit early, but he didn't seem to mind as much as Nathan did.

Roughing it...

Please accept our apology for our slight delay of over 48 hours... we had a rough weekend. We figured out that too much sleep during the day on Saturday leads to not enough sleep on Saturday night (when we need it). It was rough, and we thought we had a good thing going...

On top of feeling bad Saturday evening, we were wiped out Sunday trying to recoup, and catch up on lost sleep, seems like all we've been doing is feeding sleeping, playing, picking up, feeding, napping, cleaning, feeding, napping, returning phone calls, feeding, returning emails, feeding, etc...

Oh well, thanks for letting me share our vent and excuse of inconsistency. Hopefully the next few days will make it up to you.

Bath time for Drew

Drew had his first "sponge" bath tonight. It went pretty well, better than our experience with our first born. We took notes at Northside, and copied that process. Also, we're a lot more relaxed with this second baby because we've been through before, so it's less stressful.
If you're reading this and don't have children yet, rest assured that they are going to cry, no matter what, it's different for babies. They're trying to get used to this world, and you're trying to get used to them. The staff at Northside told us "you can't really hurt a baby".
We've realized that Drew is a snuggly little baby and really calms & relaxes when held close. This is a big bonus for us affectionate ones. Praise God for answered prayers.

Can I go to sleep already...?

Where is that blinding flash of light coming from? Make it stop...!

This was a when we were about to take an afternoon snooze.

The mittens are to protect Drew's face from being scratched by his nails since he doesn't actually know those are his arms flailing. I'm going to do my best to get hands and feet Sunday. Tune in for that to be posted sometime this week.

Good night, sleep tight...

Just a quick update that Drew is sleeping well (swaddled), eating well, & on track with his fluids.

It's amazing what some good milk can do for him.

We cannot say thank you enough for all of your prayers, support, phone calls, emails, & meals. Your friendships are truly incredible!

It's still surreal to us that we have two little ones in the house to care for. At this point it's great that we have one-on-one coverage where we can switch off, and both take care of what's immediately needed. It's been good to keep things prepared ahead of time so there's easy access to things. It's going to still be an adjustment when Paul get's back to work and Christy is here with both. Serious kudos to all stay-at-home Mom's, because you truly have the biggest, challenging, most important & rewarding "job"/"role" that there is!

by James C. Dobson
Greetings to all the men and women out there who are blessed to be called parents. There is no greater privilege in living than bringing a tiny new human being into the world and then trying to raise him or her properly during the next 18 years. Doing that job right requires all the intelligence, wisdom and determination you will be able to muster from day to day. And for parents whose family includes one or more boys, the greatest challenge may be just keeping them alive through childhood and adolescence.

Sweet sleeper...

Drew slept well his first night (about 4 hours) on one stretch. A huge difference for us from now to when we had Nathan home our first night. Here he is swaddled and at rest.

He's nursing well, and we're hanging in there. Christy is trying to get over this ear infection that she has. Her eardrum bursted during labor, and the perforations had caused crackling, popping sounds, and she cannot hear out of her right ear. The Dr. said that it would be a few weeks to completely heal, so now she just has to keep it clean and take her meds.

Welcome home...

We arrived with a great welcome of ballons & a sign on our door.

Thank you Hammonds for the sweet homecoming.

We had no idea Nathan was so good with a marker, we've only tried crayons.

I see you...

I have a great view of my little brother Drew from my seat in the car. As you can see, the back seat is now two-thirds full and Nathan has the best seat in the car. Any takers on when our family will be upgrading to the minivan?

We're trying to keep hands and objects away from Drew, who has not learned the deflect move yet, nor even how to duck.

First sleep at home...

Here's our big Drew in his cradle, kicking out of his swaddle. Atleast he's sleeping. So far, so good.

The biggest transition for us will most likely be Nathan adjusting to life with another little one. We are trying to do our best to keep both Mom & Dad in front of him so it's not as much of an issue for him. Keep us posted if anyone has any comments or ideas that work with new additions to the family. Thanks.

I'm going home...

We are excited about the opportunity to leave hospital life and get to where "the rubber meets the road" back at the house with just us four. Drew's nursery is ready, the crib is made, & we have diapers & wipes (thank you) ready.

So, off we go, we'll let you know how it turns out...

Half full...

Currently our house is half full... Daddy & Nathan are home for the evening & Mommy & Drew are still at Northside.

The 48 hr minimum is in effect and we're trying to determine if it's from birth (11:25a Tues) or from blood culture (approx 6p Tues). Either way, the most important thing is the health of our little 34 hour old baby.

Lab work, observations, monitoring, all things that the staff at Northside are more qualified to do than we, so leaving Thursday is not really a big deal. We'll wait for the definitive ETD and plan accordingly. Thank you so much to Christy's mom for staying on the overnight cot playing the role of Nurse Tech.

Room with a view...

Nathan & I are about head north to get back home so he can be in his bed & familiar surroundings. We're leaving the "King & Queen" Concourse buildings behind (view from our 5th floor room), and will have to settle for our horses & cows as we get closer to home.

We want to thank all of you for signing up to bring a meal to us as we transition home. We greatly appreciate it, and look forward to seeing you also! An extra thanks to Allison Kryszon for coordinating!

Sibling Rivalry

Welcome Nathan, meet your brother Drew. He's a lot smaller than you, so no racing, wrestling or playing tackle shepball (football) for a while.

Baby Drew was in & out of sleep as Nathan first saw his little brother.

We videoed the interaction, so hopefully we can post that later.

All went well as far as we can tell, Nathan needs a nap, so we're leaving soon.

Big day, sleepy boy...

Circ was successful, and Drew barely made a peep. He's coping by sleeping a lot right now. Mom is feeling well, and we're hanging out waiting on the time to allow the breathing to work itself out.

Nathan is on the way up to see us, and we're excited about brothers meeting...

Thank you to the Hammonds for caring for Nathan as we brought Drew into the world.

Extended stay at the Ritz-Northside...

Well, some things you can plan and other things you just have to let happen. It's so comforting that God knows what we need more than we do. Despite our good intentions of a short stay here we have been requested to stay another day for observation. The blood culture was initiated around 6pm Tuesday, and we have to wait 48 hrs to see if there is any growth of infection.

The pediatrician made her rounds this morning and said Drew looked great, she wanted to see the minor grunting go away completely and ensure that there's no infection. He scheduled for his circ some time today, and we're glad he's actually in the room with us again.

We were happy that the nursery watched him last night, bringing him into our room to nurse, which allowed us to get some much needed rest.

Bye Bye Magaw...

Drew's vitals checked out well, heart rate just over 100, oxygen 100%, glucose fine, diaper was changed, and he's back in the room with us. Here's Christy's mom (Nathan calls her Maga - "long a"), so Drew will as well. She was so sweet to come stay with us since around 2pm, helping Christy, treating us to lunch, and being here with her love on Drew's big day. Love you.

Drew's nursing well, and we're tired, so we'll be sleeping soon.

See you on day two.

Welcome back to 583

Come on back Drew... his lab results were both okay, his heart rate was normal, breathing was great. X-rays showed fluid, but our pediatrician stated that the slight inconsistent grunting was not cause for him to be away from momma any more! The Dr. will make her rounds in the am to check him out, and hopefully give us the green light to discharge later in the afternoon.

Since he was gone for over 6 hours, he was fed while under their care.

Waiting on lab work results

I guess the only real downside to fast labor & delivery could be too much fluid in the lungs! Apparently, when the labor is longer, there's an opportunity for the lungs to expand and absorb as needed.

X-rays showed fluid, and his grunting and short breaths has afforded him an extra hour in the transition nursery. Since about 4pm, he's been hooked up to monitors and an IV while his vitals and breathing are observed.

I forgot to snap a picture of our friends the Huftalin's who were so kind to visit and bring dinner for me & snacks for Christy. Thank you both!

We covet your continued prayers, and know that God in is control and is guiding the staff here as they care for so many miracles of life each day.

Separation anxiety...

Heading up to "transition nursery" to be be observed. Drew is grunting a bit inconsistenly, so they want to monitor him and observe his activity. See you soon little guy...

Getting Dressed Video

From his measurements, to vitals, to getting his first bath, here's a video of Drew cleaned up getting comfy.

Clean this vernix off of me...

He was given his first bath and had lots of normal test run, dresssed with mittens, socks, shirt, hat & blanket (swaddled). Talking with transition nursery staff about his short breathing and grunting. We recieved the green light to discharge from L & D. We're heading up to our post-partum room soon, and will keep posts up later.

Happy Birthday Drew...

Welcome to our world! Mom and Drew are doing wonderful, the nurses stated he had trouble breathing at first getting fluids out of his lungs, but after some suction, and nursing time with mom, he was great. Nurses confirmed that his breathing was excellent, and lungs were clear.

Faster than we thought...

Well, the heart rate dropped, and our nurse Sheila checked Christy and the baby had dropped significantly. She called our midwife Deena and said the baby's coming fast!

Christy started pushing at 11:14 and the head appeared. 11 minutes later pushing through three contractions, the head was delivered first, posterior (again) & I helped Deena pull our little baby out as Christy gave a final strong push.

It's a boy! 8 lbs, 13 oz., 21 inches long. Christy's hands, feet & dimples so far that we can tell.

Thank you for all of your prayers and best wishes.

Pitocin in, epidural administered... 11a

We're here at Northside, 4 cm, -1, just received the epi, somewhere between 1st & 2nd phase labor. Christy is feeling well, lying on her side. Baby's heart rate is around 120's, contractions are 1 to 2 minutes apart. More to come...