Family pictures

We have a wonderful friend who took some family photos of our new little addition to our family. Palmer is 10 days old in these pictures. Enjoy!


Latest Hiatt Family Picture



Palmer laying down


Adam's thumb next to Palmer's little hand! ;)


The prince and the pea






father & son


mother & son


The week before delivery


The week before delivery - Virginia is soooo beautiful in the springtime!
I suggested this shot because of the vibrant red/pink flowers!

Precious mother / son moment

Here is a precious mother and son moment we captured on camera this week.

Nikki just laid him down to look at him and he stared back with his beautiful blue eyes!

Our little miracle baby has arrived!

Our little miracle baby has arrived! Palmer was born Friday, 4/29. He weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz. and was 20.25" long.

Mother and baby are doing well!



After writing my first email to friends and family I quickly realized that I had incorrectly announced the length at 24" long! I guess that's what happens when you try to compose a message in between nurse and doctor visits to your room ;)

During this special time our hearts and minds are especially sensitive and emotional. Yesterday as I was looking into Palmer's little hospital bassinet I saw that the hospital staff had taken little footprints of him and placed it into the bassinet for us.

Inside was this card with a little poem on it that touched my heart as I read it.

Everyday I'm growing,
and soon I'll be so tall,

So here's a special footprint
just so you can recall

Exactly how my foot looked
when I was very small

They say children grow up so very past which just goes to show how relative time really is a function of the viewpoint of the observer (as Einstein would say).

My hope is that we can be the best parents we know how to be, treasure every precious moment with our child, learn from those around us and always look for the best in others.

They say, "It takes a village to raise a child" and I believe that.

Thank you to all who have given us help, encouragement and hope along the way. We want to thank everyone who has prayed for us along the way and for those who have brightened our day and helped us when we needed it.

I know that we are just beginning this new adventure called parenthood.

-- Adam

Here's what he looks like when he's awake

Trailing clouds of glory, from God, who is our home ...

"The wait is almost over" ... the waiting for our little light, Palmer, to enter our lives is almost here ;)

I thought of Nikki looking longingly outside waiting for a child to come to us. This photo captures the moment so beautifully ;)

In Spanish the phrase for giving birth is: "Dando a luz" (a un hijo).
This literally means: "giving light to..." (a son).

I also thought of this from the famous William Wordsworth. 1770–1850.

"... Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy! ..."

-- Adam


I can imagine that little light getting ready to enter our lives.



This will be his first name.


Nikki enjoying the peacefulness and serenity of the new nursery!

Tuesday April 12, 2011 - Big Day all around!

This was a big day all around. One that has been marked on my calendar for weeks and a day that I have been looking forward to. It is also a big day for two members of my family. My sister Chris and her son Ethan as they celebrated their birthdays on this day as well.

Part 1 of the day!
OK Back to the items marked on my calendar. First I had a sonogram scheduled that morning. I always look forward to catching a glimpse of Baby Boy. He was very active during the appointment, but the cutest thing we saw him do was he had one of his hands holding a fist by his face. I thought to myself about all the punching I have been feeling and thought we may have a boxer in there instead of a soccer player. We ended up having 3 technicians come in to check measurements and about a hour and 20 minuets later the appointment was over. We were able to see every inch of that boy. We saw his four heart chambers, his kidneys, his stomach, the femur, measured his head -still big BTW. With all their calculations they came up with a number of 7lbs 3 oz for this boy. He is still growing 2 weeks ahead of schedule. The next excitement is that I have dilated to a 2. The guy who was in charge kind of got nervous and said I am calling your OB to put them on alert, this baby is coming in the next 2 weeks. It was so exciting to see and hear that everything is going well. They did check the fibroid and there was some more found that started to grow. Not too concerned about it at this point. I meet with my OB tomorrow to discuss a possible C-section and about our visit with radiology.

Part 2 of the Day!
After that I took it easy so that I would be able to have energy to go party. Let me tell you, that is what a 40 year old lady who is pregnant does. I need to take a nap so I can party at night.
Baby Shower!

At 630pm I arrived at Ann's house, I wanted to arrive before the guest and help her set anything up that needed to be done. WOW Ann is amazing! The house was beautiful and the decorations were amazing. She made these awesome blue pom poms and hung them from the chandelier as you walked in the door. Then more were hanging in the Family Room. Then she made a beautiful banner that read "it;s a boy" There was so much food and everything was delicious.

I was so happy for those who was able to come. It was such a blessing to share this night and excitement with all those who came. Each person there has touch our life since we have arrived in VA. Each one hold a special place in our family. I just can't begin to say what a special night it was and how blessed this baby is for all the love and support he has received this far and he has not even arrived into the world yet. I can't even express how my heart feels from the night. A few simple words express the evening.
Love, Generosity, Laughter and Family.

My big regret was some how losing my camera from my house to the shower. But Sarah a wonderful friend and photographer took these pictures of the night.

Sneak Peak- Nursery

This is long overdue for a sneak peak to the nursery. We are now in the single digits in weeks to the countdown of our little miracle and now is the time to kick it in gear. Make sure everything is ready for his arrival. I keep picturing my world at a stand still for a few months and so I am determined to get moved into this house and all the little/big projects on my list completed in the next month.

So here are some peaks into the nursery. Once it has all come together I will give the final reveal.

My color scheme I choose was Tangerine, Lime Green and Baby Blue.

Do you know how hard it is to find these colors for a baby nursery? I found that I had to think outside of the box for this nursery. I wanted to create a space that I just loved. Adam just wanted bright colors. So he was pleased that our boys room had blue in it.
I made the curtains and bed skirt, I know, I know brace yourself. I really did it and all on my own. This is how handy I am. NOT! I am sewing challenged! Determined to do this I thought it through and accomplished it. I am kind of proud of myself. So I will give a big pat on my back. I found a Nathan Adler duvet cover on clearance at Burlington Coach Factory and made the curtains. My only regret was not picking up the twin that was there as well. When I went back it was gone. But then I found twin sheets that were perfect in color and picked that up on clearance. I used that for the crib skirt and combined the sheet with the duvet and made another curtain for the closet. I think my best work yet.

Her are some items that I have prepared and will be going up in the room.



I love finding a good deal. It is a thrill to know that you have found a great item at a great price. We have been looking for a rocker/recliner for the nursery for a while now. I have been watching sales, stores and craigslist. My dream was to find a leather rocker/recliner in a neutral color that we could still use once we were done with it in the nursery. But my fear was the price. My fear was we would end up with a burgandy/blue scratchy recliner that had smells. You know what I talking about. At dinner last Friday night the topic came up again with Adam and I about looking for a recliner. I told him it had been a few days since I had checked craigslist and I had a few stores picked out to check on Saturday. So at 9pm at night I check online and I see a few options. I email the seller and they both get back to me right away. One is available the other is not. I make an appointment to see the recliner. The picture looks good and it looks like it is in good condition. Lucky for me the seller really didn't have any information other than a picture of the item. We get there and it is perfect. The family proceeds to tell us it is a few years old and has sat in the guest room barely used. The leather is in perfect condition and the chair feel brand new. So for $150.00 we take the leather, neutral, rocker/recliner. I am giddy inside as we drive away from the smoke free home. So here is our best deal find of the month! I am still giddy when I see it.

Oh the many nights we will be enjoying each other.

Baby's First Package

I don't know about you, but I love to open the front door and find a package out there. It doesn't matter if it is something I ordered and knew was coming from HSN or Amazon. I just get a burst of excitement whenever I see a box sitting on my porch. The only thing that will burst my bubble if Adam says "what did you order now?" I enjoy it when I can say honestly. "I didn't or it is not addressed to me."

To my surprise the other day I found this box addressed to the baby. Oh baby got his first package in the mail. I think he even did a summer salt in my tummy when it arrived. He is taking after his mommy with packages.

I was so touched by Kathy,Dave and Kevin for thinking about us and the baby. I didn't wait for Adam to get home. I just opened it with such excitement. As I unwrapped the white tissue paper I found that each item they sent had a note on it. Each item expressed why they wished they had this or found it later and how it has helped them. There was so much detail that it really touched my heart to all the thought that went behind the package. It could not have arrived at a better time as we had been dealing with some drama that really made me sad. Thank you Kathy, Dave and Kevin for reaching out to us and being so kind.

Baby's First Gift

This post should have happened back in December, but like I said my dogs ate all my postings and I am now just getting around to them.
This is our little boy's very first baby present that was given to him from a real cutie Rachel B. I am so glad I got to know her before she went off to College. It was so fun to go eat cupcakes and hang out with her before she left. Rachel is so darling and has such a generous heart, I can't wait to watch and see what she accomplishes with her future.

Once baby boy is able to wear the sweater I will definitely be taking a picture of him in it and sending it to you Rachel. He will be so styling in his Ralph Lauren sweater.

Our Bun in the Oven is 5lbs and counting

I may have not acted too concerned last week about the appointment, but in all reality it was eating me up inside. I was worried and yes bit off all my nails this week when I thought about it. I tried to remain calm and act like it was no big deal. Inside I was dying to know if there was a problem with the baby or me. Over the years I have had medical problems and things like to grow inside of me that shouldn't. I have been told in the past that if I had been pregnant when a growth had started I could have died from it. Those things are hard to let go. So those worries stick with me. I am not all doom and gloom. Just cautious about what could happen. So whenever I hear that something is growing inside of me I think of what it could do to me or this child and that is why I was so nervous inside.

As I sat in the waiting room for my appointment. I couldn't be apart of the conversation that Adam was having with my cousin Shelby. I was just nervous. So I found a People's magazine and tried to get lost in all the drama of the stars. Then my name was called and we went back. I changed into the gown. The tech immediately came in and dimmed the lights and we began the ultrasound.
.
There is that moment when I hold my breath just before I see his heart beat. Each time I do that. It has become a natural instinct for me. The air is released once I see or hear this little guys heart. He looked just beautiful to me. She immediately sees the Fibroid and confirms that is has not grown. That is not a problem, it has stayed the same size as it was at 19 weeks. What a relief. It has moved and now is just above his head yet there is still cushing from him and the Fibroid. So all is well. Then she starts to look at the baby and checking him out. He is moving around all over the place. He will not keep his arms still and his one of his feet is up by his head. We can't get a good picture of him. He is turned away from us. The tech tries to manipulate him and get him to move, but this kid will not change his position.

Once the measurements are all in and the computer does it's magic we find out that Baby boy is weighing in at 5lbs so far. He is 2 weeks ahead of schedule with his growth. Which is why I measured so large last week. It was baby boy not the fibroid. He is going to be a big boy. As she tells me he has a big head and lots of brains in there and at this rate he could turn into a 9lbs baby. I have a rush of panic go through me about the pain of passing this baby. This is what I have been praying for is to have a strong healthy baby. So baby Boy, keep growing I will deal with the pain, just come to us.

Now the panic is setting in as the time draws closer and the reality is this baby is really coming and he could survive now if he did come early. I am really having a baby boy and he is real. I guess it is time to register at Babies R Us, complete the nursery and plan for his arrival.

I can't wait to be a mommy, I can't wait to meet this precious little guy and give him all that I have inside of me. I wondered when I would start feeling his spirit. I now feel his presence as our spirits have spoken to each other and I can't wait to be able to hold him in my arms and just love him with everything inside of me.

NOTE: We did get a CD yesterday of the appointment. I will go through and see if there is anything good to share and post that later today or this week. As you know I really do like to post pictures with my posts.

Not what I expected today

So this past week I have really been taking it easy. The whole no energy and dizziness has taken it's toll on me. So I have really limited my activities. Which makes me so sad because I wanted to go out and play with some friends. I have been getting the rest that I guess my body needs and I have been working on getting more nutrients into my body. I have decided that I need more protein as I just feel malnourished.

This week I have been adding protein supplements to my diet via protein shakes in all forms. Including a drink called Isopure. You can find that at GNC. It comes in a 20 oz bottles and it looks like cool aid. Mind you it doesn't taste like cool aid. The best part is that one bottle contains 40 grams of protein. Now your body only can use 20 grams at a time so you have 2 servings to a bottle. Yesterday i tried the grape. Not too bad. Today I am trying the Peach/Mango - not bad either. I have a few more flavors to try before I determine the best flavor. At that point then I think I will order a case online and see if I can get it any cheaper then $5 a pop at GNC. Since I have up the protein to around 70+ grams a day I am feeling better. I am also still up the iron as well. Overall I think it is all helping. Time will tell in the next week or two. So that is the update on my energy.

Today was my OB appointment. My last one was three weeks ago at 28. This is what I didn't expect to find. My last appointment my belly measured right on track and this week going into my 31 week my belly measured at 33 weeks. I thought I had got bigger all the sudden but they confirmed that. I didn't think it was a big deal. I had only gained 2lbs in 3 weeks as well. So it is official I am 20lbs gained so far. The next thing they tell me is that we need to book a sonogram next week to see the baby and make sure everything is ok in there. They want to check the actual size of the baby, the fluid and to see if the fibroid has grown. That is where the concern is for the growth, is the fibroid growing and causing my belly to measuring larger then it should right now.

I am not too concerned actually a little excited to see Baby Boy next week and see how the little guy is doing. I am so grateful for technology and that we are able to go have a look and know what to expect if there is a problem. The benefits of living in this day and age.

The past Sunday someone asked me if I knew what sex of baby we were having. I told her yes and what it was. She shook her head at me and with a little disappointment asked me why I would find out the sex. I just smiled as I was actually surprised by the judgment of knowing that we were expecting a boy. But I smiled back and said, "Why not? Living in this day and age and the technology that we have. If I can find out anything about this child that is growing inside of me I want to know all there is about him."

Then I also answered the true me!

Which is I hate waiting and I would rather open my presents on Christmas eve then wait for Christmas morning. I could not wait to find out what sex this baby was, I didn't want to wait for Christmas morning to find out. So I didn't. It was a mutual decision. Adam and I both wanted to know. He feels the same way about technology and using it. But Adam on the other hand is a guy who likes surprises and makes us wait for Christmas morning. Except in this case.

So today was not what I expected, but thank goodness I will be able to get more information next week.