8 weeks old

My sweet little Presley you are 8 weeks old today! I can't decide how I feel. I want you to stay tiny and innocent and sweet forever. But I also want you to learn and grow and do new things. Sniff...sniff...



At 8 weeks you are awake a large part of the day. You have started to smile at us and almost...almost laugh out loud. You look like your voice is right there and I know we will get to hear your sweet little laugh very soon. Your eyes are blue and always super bright. Your Daddy and I still love to sit and look at you. And now you are looking back at us. How fun!


And you are a great sleeper. Praise Jesus...those first 6 weeks were insane. But now you eat about 10pm and will sleep until 2 or 3 each morning. Then once you're fed again you sleep until about 6:15 am. I can totally handle this schedule! That every two hours was rough on us both. But you're doing so great now and I can even lay you back down after your feeding when you're still awake. You will lay there and kick and make little noises until you drift back off to dream land. I honestly don't feel sleep deprived anymore!


You like to have some play time too. You are great at holding your head up when you are on your tummy but you like being on your back much better. I honestly think it's because you can see more going on around you. We used to hold you 24/7 but now sometimes you just want to lay on your own. You HATE the swing but you like the bouncer and the little pink gym that you got at the shower. You like to hold your legs up and to kick when you get excited. It puts a smile on my face every time!


Your Daddy went hunting one night this week and I snuggled with you for a little while but then decided to finish laundry. I put you in your bouncer and thought I'd try sitting you in front of the tv for just a little bit. I know your eye sight isn't super great at a distance yet but I thought maybe the sound and lights would keep your attention. Madagascar Christmas was on so I sat you down and you were one happy baby. I finished the laundry and then came back in to check on you. I couldn't help but take a picture. Your first movie!


The best part was watching your expressions. I sat in the floor in front of you and watched you for a while. I kept thinking about how much you've grown and how alert you are now. Your expressions crack me up! This picture shows how wide eyed you were and you kept moving your arms all alround.

Here is a short little video of you playing in the floor. You aren't super active with it yet but you do like to hold your legs up and kick them around. You're gonna have some strong tummy muscles as much as you hold your legs up in the air. Hahaha....maybe mommy should try that!!

Halloween Fun

Presley's first Halloween. Yes I dressed her up....as a lady bug. We didn't go out anywhere just down to Granny and Pop's house but I did take a bunch of pictures! And of course Presley's cousins Gavin, Amarah, and Jewel came by. These pictures are actually from the night before Halloween but we still had fun! So I really tried hard to get a good pic where you could see that it said "Love Bug" not so much luck. Pictures will be so much easier when she can sit up....maybe! Gavin (4) and Amarah (3) stopped by in full costume. Amarah wanted to be "scary" so Sara found her this hilarious dragon suit and Gavin was Micheal Phelps. They were big enough this year to really understand dressing up and were all about showing them off. This is my favorite picture because they had their arms around each other but it's a little blurry. And Amarah kept on and on about wanting her picture with "Baby Cousin". Sara was unsure but I was on Amarah's side...so she got to help hold her.

And my OB asked me what Presley dressed up as when I saw him for my 6 week check up and wants me to send him a picture. So this is what he's gonna get....

Amarah wanted to do "a scary face picture"....

And Gavin kept telling us how strong Micheal Phelps was...

Presley wasn't too animated as a lady bug but she seemed okay with it. HAHA!

Gavin wanted to take a picture and after assuring Sara that it would be fine....he took this one.

My older sister Paula and my neice Jewel called and wanted to stop by too so of course we said yes! It was later when they came by so the kids had changed out of their costumes and we watched cartoons while we waited. Jared took this picture and made fun of us for all sitting on the same couch. But hey...we like each other! Although I don't think it was me the kids were wanting to be close to. Baby Cousin is so much more interesting to the kids!

And finally Paula and Jewel got there and the kids were SUPER wound up. They were so loud and running around and having a blast. They don't get to see each other very often and trust me they make up for it when they do. This was right before Paula and Jewel left (they were heading to the Great Wolfe Lodge). You can see how red their cheeks were. Sweaty kids!!

After everyone left sweet little Presley was pooped. She fell asleep so I put her in the bouncer. I can't believe how much she's grown!! Next year she'll be running around with all of the other cousins!

One Month Old

Man the first month flew by! Presley has already changed so much. Here are some random pics from our first month...

I borrowed this onsie so I could take her picture from my sweet friend Kate and her little man Hudson. She did this with him and I thought it was super cute. I want to be able to look at her "month" pictures and see how much she has changed. So here's Presley at one month old! I had to lay her down for this one because it just wasn't working to sit her up. The frustration we experienced is displayed in the second picture....

Ha...see why I ended up laying her down? She was not happy about this at all. This next picture I put up because it shows how she always keeps her feet. She has little monkey toes like me and always keeps them together when she's in the bouncer. She's gonna hate me for pointing this out to everyone! Sorry baby girl...you can blame me for giving you those toes.

And as I mentioned in earlier blogs....Daddy's girl. Presley had been fussy and I was trying to get some things done around the house so Daddy offered to entertain her. After noticing it had gotten quiet I found the two of them on our bed...sleeping away.

And to further argue my point, this was her first trip to church...to Aunt Deb's surprise birthday party actually and the first time she wore something other than just a onsie or pajamas. Daddy picked this outfit out at Babies R Us and even dressed her himself. She wouldn't keep her eyes open for the picture but I think she's adorable anyway!

So far Presley has LOVED bath time. She can be screaming her little head off and sticking her in a nice warm bath (with lavander Sleepy Bath soap) does the trick every time. Jared and I both have this pic as our background on our phone. Her eyes are so bright and she was super content on Daddy's legs.

We recently switched to using the bath tub but at first we used the sink. At first she fit perfectly but now she's too long. But see how happy she is....just hanging out.

And how cute is this budda belly?!! LOL

First Photo Shoot

From the moment I knew I was pregnant I couldn't wait to have my baby's first real photo shoot. I booked the appointment way before I knew boy or girl and I'm sure I drove Mylissa crazy telling her about my ideas. But finally the day came!! We did Presley's pictures when she was 2 weeks old and Mylissa was sweet enough to come to my house. Which is good because before we were done Presley had peed on her daddy and we had to break twice for her to eat. Honestly after Mylissa left I was doubtful how great the pictures would be. But then when I saw the proofs...I teared up. They are exactly what I wanted!!

Presley's little belly looks huge in this picture...haha and I love her little bottome up in the air.
I'm a huge fan of black and white and I think it's completely appropriate for this picture. I think we look so still and quiet and in total awe of our little one. We were actually sitting on our couch and I know that you guys can't really see it but it means a lot to me that we were at home right in the middle of our little world and having this little moment with our new baby.

I wish my smile had been bigger here but I LOVE the expression on Presley's face. She looks so peaceful.

I have always always always wanted this picture. It was tricky to get her to hold them. Every time Mylissa put the rings on there she would curl up her toes and it wasn't the pose we were trying to get. But after a bunch of shots we got the perfect one!

This one made me cry the first time. I'm not going to lie. I don't remember her taking this shot and when I was looking at the proofs it completely caught me off guard. Her hand looks super tiny here! It's so sweet to me to see her holding her daddy's hand.

I know the bow is huge but I think it's cute. And guess what...so does her daddy. I thought he would hate them when I brought them home (and yes I bought them way before baby cakes was even born) but every time we leave the house if I don't have a bow in my hand he sends me back in to grab one. Yeah...my tough guy now matches bows to outfits, clips her tiny nails, pushes a stroller through stores and all kinds of other things he probably never thought he would do.

And I think this picture says it all....

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First Few Weeks

I can't believe she's only a few weeks old in these pictures and looks so tiny! She already has her daddy completely wrapped around her little finger. This picture is proof that when daddy is at home he keeps her on his chest 24/7. (And I have about 5 other pictures just like this one!)Yes she is going to be super spoiled but we just can't help it! Presley you are such a blessing and we can't believe we were lucky enough to be chosen to be your parents.
I wanted a picture of Presley at 1 week and I plan to take one each month after this. I chose the recliner because I could prop her up in the corner. She didn't look super happy to be getting a picture made here but it will always remind me of how little she was. And look at those bright eyes and that head full of hair! Oh and check out those toes.... Presley's routine consisted of lots of sleeping this first week. I couldn't help myself...every time I saw her in a new position I had to snap a picture. And daddy was doing the same thing too so we have LOTS of pictures. This is one of my favorites because when she is really snoozing good she always put your arms up or behind her head. And now that I'm looking at this picture...could we have put more pink around her? LOL

See...there is some serious snoozing going on here!

Hospital Stay

Daddy's Girl.......
We stayed Thur and Fri night in the hospital and got to head home Saturday. I was amazed at all of the visitors we had and how many people were excited to meet our sweet little girl. It was very humbling and really made me realize how many great friends and family we have. Thank you to everyone who visited. I have pictures of everyone who came to the hospital but I was afraid to post them without posting them all. I didn't want to offend anyone if I didn't put their picture up! LOL

It didn't take long for me to see that the man who HATED pictures before now didn't think twice about posing with his little girl. All of the pictures after the delivery are of Presley and Jared..which is okay because I know how crazy he is about her. Here are some of my favoirte pics of the two of them at the hospital. A day old and she was already wrapping Jared around her finger!

And these are the "Going Home" pictures. The day we went to the Prepared Parenting class at NCMC, we saw a couple leaving with their little twins and Jared and I both thought it was the sweetest thing ever. We couldn't wait to take pictures of our own...and here they are!

Birth Day

At my Week 39 appointment my doctor checked me again and there was no change. I was seriously bummed. I'd been at a 2 since Week 37. Yeah, early on it looked like this little one was ready to meet the world and then...nothing. No contractions, my cervix hadn't thinned anymore...and her due date was now only a week away.

Overall I was still doing good. I had gained 28 lbs (still below the 30 my doctor had said was ok) but was starting to swell pretty good each day. And I cant even count how many times I was having to get up in the night to pee. So when my doctor asked if I wanted to be induced I looked at Jared for a few seconds and then said "sure!". I could see all kinds of benefits to this. I would know what day we were going to the hospital avoiding the "should we go or not" delima, I could shower and put make up on where if we went in the middle of the night I wouldn't, my doctor could help to progress things rather than just waiting around forever....so yes, I was sold.

So when he said okay be at the hospital at 5am the next morning I was a little speechless. I mean I was ready but was I ready? Jared and I went straight home (my appt was at 4:15 when we made this decision so in 12 hours we had to be at the hospital) and we started to make sure we had everything. Yes the carseat was in the trunk, my pajamas were packed, we had extra pillows in for Jared, the camera was charged....were we forgetting anything?

I got up at 3 am to shower. Yes, I knew after a day in labor you probably wouldn't be able to tell but I was at least going to try and make myself presentable. They wasted no time and by about 5:20am I was already in the hospital bed, on an IV and Jared was teaching himself how to read the monitors. Ha! Oh and the crazy part was that as soon as I was on the monitor the nurse told me I was having contractions. Yeah, I couldn't feel them at all but they were about 4 min apart! So I probably would have ended up there in a day or two anyway.

Wow...could I have looked any puffier? And you can see in this pic Jared stationed himself in front of the monitors. He watched that thing all day long.

By lunch I still had not felt a contraction although my contrations were getting stronger and more frequent according to the monitor. My doctor came in and told me I needed to go ahead with the epidural and then he could break my water. So I did...and then he did....and we waited some more. I was not crazy about getting the drugs when I wasn't feeling any pain but I'm sure it was good I did. However, I did NOT like being that numb. I couldn't feel anything from my ribs down.
About 6pm I was still contracting but still at a 2 and not thinning. Yeah...what a long freakin day. About this time I also had some issues with a "hot spot" where all of a sudden I could feel the left side of my stomach. Not pleasant!!!!! Wow going from not feeling any contractions to feeling them really intense and about every 2 minutes was super painful. My day went from perfect to painful really quick. My doctor came back in and instead of the fun and games we'd been having in my room I was squeezing Jared's hand off and had tears covering my face. Luckily my dear sweet friend Dr Patel (no joke) came back and changed the drugs in my epidural and within minutes I was pain free once again. All I can say is THANK HEAVEN FOR DRUGS!!

At 7pm the nurses changed and they checked me once again. Still at a 2....seriously why was nothing going on? They said the baby was in position and my contrations were great but no sign she was coming out soon. I was getting frustrated and feeling bad about the fan club that had been in the waiting room since about lunch. At 8pm they checked me again and were going to consult with my doctor if nothing had changed. I really was not wanting to end up in the OR and Jared assured me he would freak out if we did. Luckily the nurse announced I was at a 10 and ready to push. Yeah, in an hour I had made some major progress.

Everything went great. My doctor came in and I pushed for about 30 min which was nothing. I was in no pain and in between contractions Jared and I chatted with my doctor about everything in the world. And then during the middle of a push my doctor told me to look down and there she was! I didn't realize we were that close to getting her here because I wasn't sweating or screaming or any of the things all the women do on the movies. But there she was flopped up on my stomach slimy and screaming and with a head full of hair. Jared took this picture and he says it brings tears to his eyes every time he sees it.

It all happened so fast. I remember thinking she felt huge even though she was only 7 lbs and 4 oz but all I could think was how in the heck was that inside me?

The next little bit flew by too. I remember watching them move her to the warmer in the corner of the room. Jared was over there snapping pictures just like I had reminded him a 1000 times before that day. And he got some great shots....I'm super proud of him. I could see them working her over, drying her, giving her oxygen, flipping her every which way.

Before I knew it my doctor was done with me and the nurses were handing me my little bundle back. It is the most amazing and overwhelming time in the world. I was so blown away by that little face and at that moment I knew I would do anything for this little girl. We had wished for her, and waited for her, and now we were finally holding her.

Jared went out and told everyone waiting her name. I think they had guessed every name in the book but finally we announced Presley Lynn Hicks was here! After 15 1/2 hours of labor this little girl had decided to meet the world. She was super alert and had her eyes open during the pictures and when everyone came in to meet her. She wasn't going to miss anything. About 11pm when everyone was gone Jared took this last picture of me holding her. I had just nursed her and she decided to close those sweet little eyes. She looks so tiny in this picture!

I saw a shirt that I need to order for her. It said "All of God's grace in this tiny face". That's exactly how I felt at that moment. Jared and I stared at her forever and kept asking each other what we did to deserve such a perfect little blessing. I hope I never forgot that day or that feeling.