Emily's Birth Day

Emily's due date was February 6th. We had an OB appointment that morning and were very suspicious that the doc would want to induce soon - we just didn't know how soon. I had been trying several tricks to get things rolling myself with no success.

The morning quickly took a turn for the worse however when as I was getting ready for the day I felt my ribs pop out of place. The pain was so bad I was in tears. Even throughout my OB appointment I was crying. The doc did want to induce that night, but was concerned about my pain level. Since Jim was going to drive me to the chiropractor right after this appointment, the OB wanted me to call her with how the chiro went.

I told the chiro that I needed him to work a miracle. He was up for the challenge and more tears were shed as he worked to get my body in line. He was happy to hear that the induction would start in the evening because he wanted me to come back later that afternoon for more treatment. I gave the OB the update and the induction was still on. The afternoon appointment went much better and while still painful, at least I didn't cry this time.

Jim and I stopped off for a treat at Golden Spoon on our way to the hospital for our 8:00pm arrival. At the hospital they got me all checked in and spent about an hour hooking me up to machines and asking tons of questions. Because of my ribs, I said that I just needed a little more caution when changing positions. Once I was settled I was usually fine. So a lot of the time I felt like I was packed for shipping with all the pillows around me. Induction officially began at 9:00pm. I would receive the medication every three hours until things got going.

After the first dose I didn't feel much in the way of contractions. The midnight dose finally brought some more results. At about 2am the nurse offered me some pain medication (not the epidural yet) and I took her up on it. It relieved some of my rib pain and relaxed me enough to be able to get some sleep. I also got a little loopy. My third dose came at 4:00am and soon after we were really on a roll. The nurse said it's usually the third one that makes a big difference.

It wasn't too long before I said that I would probably want the epidural pretty soon. I wasn't ready yet, but knew it wouldn't be too long. The epidural was placed at about 6:00 am, and oh the sweet relief. What I didn't like was that now there is a policy that with an epidural you have to be put on oxygen. The mask was so loud that I had a really hard time hearing what anyone was saying. It was super annoying.

My OB came in around 7:00am to break my water. My contractions were coming so fast it was crazy. I don't remember what time it was, but the last measurement I heard regarding dilation was 4. And I was getting a little irritated that I wasn't being checked because I wanted to know my progress. But I guess the nurses knew things were moving pretty fast because they started prepping the room for delivery. And I don't know exactly what time it was, but I would guess somewhere between 8:15 and 8:30 I told my mom I felt like I needed to push. So she hustled out to tell someone.

The room immediately came alive. I still wasn't being checked for dilation, so I was kind of worried that I wasn't actually at 10 yet. But everyone got in place and told me to push when I felt the next contractions. So I guess I was ready to go. The funny thing was that now that we all were ready, it seemed like I wasn't feeling contractions. I felt a little foolish. But someone watching the monitor clued me in and away we went. I only spent between 5-10 minutes pushing and Emily arrived at 8:49am on February 7.




One of the most amazing things was how quickly she latched on to nurse. She was nursing by 9:00am. And she was an amorous nurser the entire time in the hospital. It was great. I'm sure it helped that it wasn't my first time so I wasn't struggling so much.

The proud Papa!

Family came to visit our newest little bundle.

My mom, Emily and me.

My dad

My Aunt Sharon (dad's sister) was planning a trip to visit us. When she threw out possible dates, we recommended the one that would overlap my due date for a greater chance for her to see the baby. It actually worked out great that she was here when Emily was born.

Great Aunt Sharon

Great Aunt Patti

Jim's parents visited too, but I was not yet in a picture-taking frame of mind.

One amazing blessing was that my ribs weren't even a factor during delivery. I am so thankful for that.

We were disappointed to learn that Josh would not be able to visit in the hospital because it was flu season and no children under 16 were being permitted. I think the staff sort of felt bad for us because of that and actually let Emily and me go home the next day, especially since we were both doing so well.

We are so happy to have our little Emily home with us!

DING! Time's Up v2.0

Our due date day has arrived.

Just a quickie update. My ribs have been bothering me for almost a week and this morning they popped out of place. I've been in excruciating pain and can barely move. At our OB appointment she wanted to schedule me for induction tonight but was concerned about my pain. After the first of two chiropractor appointments today, I updated the OB with the chiro results and the induction is still on. I head back to the chiro this afternoon to try to manage things a little more.

I'm scared about the rib pain during labor, but definitely ready meet our little girl and get my body back on the mend.

39 Week Appointment

At our 38 week appointment last week I learned that I was 1 cm dilated. This was very exciting to me. Since then I've been getting increasingly uncomfortable and things have been happening which made me believe things were progressing. At the 39 week appointment yesterday I was hoping to hear 3 cm, but would be happy with 2 cm.

My doc checked and kind of questioningly said "nothing?" When I reminded her that last week I was 1, she checked more and said "barely 1".

Complete disappointment.

My cervix is still high and thick and no effacement. The baby has not started to descend into the birth canal. She decided to do an ultrasound to check on things too. Thankfully everything looks fine, so there are no concerns. Things just are not happening.

I asked if there was anything that could be done to nudge my body and she just said squats, sex or Castor oil. Blech! She was willing to induce me if I really wanted it, but since I have always had issue with people being induced by choice prior to the due date, I declined and we'll just wait another week and hope things get going.

So I was pretty blue most of the day. Mostly because for all the discomfort over the past week, it has been for nothing. But also because I really do not want to be induced. I want to experience that normal labor process.

So Jim declared that we would be walking every day. As soon as he got home from work, we put Josh in the wagon and headed out. It actually felt really good. However, just minutes after returning I went into a huge coughing fit. I still have some lingering symptoms from my cold (I believe made worse by increased mucous from pregnancy). It got so bad that I actually started throwing up. Lovely. But in the back of my mind I'm hoping this will trigger something!

I'm trying to just accept the fact that I'll being seeing my doctor at a normal appointment next Monday (my actual due date) and we'll talk about induction at that time if necessary.

Just Waiting

It doesn't feel right to be bored with waiting. I look so forward to having a good four weeks off of work before the baby comes, but with three weeks passed, I'm getting impatient. I remember feeling this way while waiting for Joshua. I should be enjoying a potential 10 day stretch before our family of three becomes four, but that is not where I am.

All the essentials are ready. The kids room is prepped, the kitchen is reorganized and the last of our ordered baby items have arrived. That's not to say there is nothing to do, but I guess there is nothing left I want to do. Except, of course, have a baby.

I think this just must be the breaking point of dealing with all the physical stuff. My body is tired. Everything seems hard. I'm anxious to be on the up-swing of getting back to a normal body that can reach down to pick up a block without being winded or getting heartburn. And having Josh as an additional ingredient during pregnancy has been quite the challenge. I'm not really meaning to complain, but this is the reality, and I think also just evidence of my state of mind of being done.

I'm also really praying that I don't have to be induced. Because Josh was induced, I felt a little cheated out of some of the birthing experience. Plus, I truly believe that it made my labor harder to deal with. I had visions of walking (or at least being mobile) through contractions and letting my body due it's thing. Instead I was restricted to the bed the entire time.

Jim and I have both felt convinced that our little girl will make her appearance before her February 6 due date, but by how much is where we differ. Jim says January while I still think February. We've wanted to place a bet, but can't decide what the wager should be.

Things do seem to be starting to happen though. At my doctor appointment on Monday I was dilated 1 cm. Tuesday I started to lose my mucous plug and my Braxton Hicks contractions have returned quite a bit. I definitely feel the baby moving lower in my pelvis and she seems more centralized in my abdomen and not just on my right side. So it really could be any time now. Every night I go to bed expecting to wake up to my water breaking. A friend of mine told me a way to try to get things rolling, which seems weird to do, but once we get past Friday, I may try it. (No, I'm not going to share what it is. And no, it's not "that".)

As much as I want to win the non-wagered-February-bet, at this point I'll take her as soon as she will come.

The Countdown

We are officially three weeks out from my predicted due date.

Saturday I had a nice baby shower with a few friends and family. I have had such a hard time getting into "girl" mode, but this shower definitely helped a lot. It was so much fun opening all the pink packages and seeing the darling clothes.

Today Jim and I went to Babies R Us to pick up the rest of the essentials that we need to be ready for our little girl to arrive. Jim was a crack up to watch as he was loving seeing some of the different toys. As Josh is getting older, Jim sees stuff that would be fun to have for him. I've never had the opportunity to see him get excited about that kind of stuff, so it brought a big smile to my face.

We spent the afternoon moving around the wall-hangings in the kids' room so that we could get Emily's name up on the wall. I'm so glad to finally have that piece done. I have one more project to do for the walls and then I'll post pictures. But all of today's prep really has me motivated now .

Josh's bag is packed and ready for his stay with the grandparents while we are in the hospital. I've started packing my bag. But there still is a lot of settling and rearranging of stuff to get done. I'm trying to get rid of unnecessary things, but it's hard when you think you just might need it in the future. Hopefully over the next week I can really get to a place where I feel done and ready so that I can just relax.

Tomorrow I think I'll take Josh shopping to pick a gift for him to give his new baby sister.

Am I Nesting?

This question has been funny to me. I've heard of nesting. I know it exists, I just don't think I have felt it in the sense that I have heard it described.

To me, nesting is this great urge to get things done. The task itself can be normal (setting up the nursery) or bizarre (scrubbing the baseboards...at 2 a.m.). What makes it nesting is the drive to get it done.

Now, I have been getting things done lately, but to me it's because they need to get done. I need to stock up on groceries. I need to get the kids room rearranged. I NEED to polish the baseboards!!! (just kidding).

The problem is that I have been sick. I started getting sick last Wednesday, and Friday was my last day of work. TODAY is the first day I actually have some normal energy. HOORAY!! So guess what? I feel a drive to get things done. But isn't that normal? My new problem is that I probably should still take it easy while I'm actually chomping at the bit to go, go, go. So what do you say? Nesting? I'm not convinced.

I feel conflicted about how much time I have before the baby comes. We're looking at about three weeks and in one regard that seems like a good amount of time, but I'm also a little freaked out about it. I think it's the freak out that makes me want to check off my to-do list. Once the important things are done I can relax. On my nest.

The Waiting Room

I must have a comfy waiting room. You know, a place where one can put their feet up and just relax...letting the worries of the world just wash away. One might have a brandy. Another might have a little scoop of ice cream. Whatever makes you comfy.

Unfortunately it is at the expense of my comfort.

Joshua found this plush waiting area first. He spent the final months before his arrival in the waiting room, making last minute touches on his cute little face. Getting every last hair in the right spot, placing some darling birth marks, and affixing that one little dimple in his cheek.

During this time I became very aware of my ribs.

This waiting room must also be very sturdy. It's great to use as leverage when trying to get out of a jam. Joshua wedged his foot into this support with all his might in his eagerness to meet the world.

My ribs have never been the same. I have been adjusted by the chiropractor so many times, and the ribs keep slipping.

Emily was given the key to the waiting room today. Josh must have told her where it was. She knocked on the door around 11am today, settled right in and shows no signs of leaving.

I feel a bruise coming on.

But I'm happy to know that she, just as her brother before her, is attending to those last few details. Is she curling her hair? Will she choose one or two dimples? Maybe she's trying out a crooked little smile.

Only time will tell.

(Hang in there ribs, we'll get back in the right spot someday)

Where Have You Been?

I don't know. I guess I've just been too distracted to blog lately. We've had some issues with our computer. Josh is busier, busier. It's summer. Yadda yadda yadda. I've got lots of excuses. But luckily I've got lots of blog post ideas. Hopefully I can just find the time to do them.

But I can give you one good distraction excuse...

We are expecting our second little one. YAY!!! Due in early February. No, we don't know if it's a boy or girl yet. Hopefully we will find out sometime in September.

Joshua Has Arrived

Our little angel,
Joshua

Born: October 27, 2009, 12:31pm
8 lbs, 7 oz.
21 3/4 inches
Perfect in every way

It was an amazing experience to give birth to this little guy. I hope to write more about the details here later, but finding a lot of time to reflect on the computer is difficult. I was induced Monday night and he was in my arms Tuesday afternoon. Just about every part of the experience was different than I expected. We're still learning to adjust at home and find ourselves full of more questions than answers. But we are lucky to have a great network of people to look upon for all their different experiences. Being a mom is truly enriching and I love it even in the midst of the tiring and frustrating times.

Here We Go!

We had a doctor appointment this morning with an ultrasound and exam.

I'm a little over one centimeter dilated and about 30% effaced. My amniotic fluid has dropped quite a bit (5), the placenta is showing it's getting old (calcification) and Josh is still looking pretty long and about 8.5 pounds (plus or minus a one pound margin of error). He has turned and is now facing the right direction.

The doctor scheduled us for induction tonight at 8pm. If she induces now, there is greater likelihood that I can deliver vaginally than if we were to wait much longer. She stripped my membranes which could start some contractions even during the day today. The expectation is that he will be born sometime tomorrow afternoon (or earlier).

It's nice to have a game plan to look at now. The unknown was driving both Jim and me crazy! He's working in the office a little bit today and then will come home. I'm just trying to clean up a little bit at the house and then take it easy. Doc told us to eat a big non-greasy, non-spicy meal around 5-6pm. Hmmm...what do I want?

It's really exciting to thinking about what is to come. I had lots of weird dreams last night about the baby being born and it actually made me feel closer to motherhood than I have this entire time. (Never mind that my newly born baby was already walking and talking - we'll just ignore the weird dream elements.)

DING! Time's Up

What is it about 3AM? It is a cursed hour that I tend to have a hard time sleeping through. Sometimes I can power through it, but sometimes I just have to get up and busy myself.

So today is our due date. The date that I have recited 3,298,462 times as people have asked when the baby is due. Hmmm, what is the likelihood that Joshua will arrive today? Looking pretty slim. There have been some rumblings over the last week, but nothing significant to make me feel confident about today. I know that can all change in a flash, though.

I'm kind of getting cabin fever. I'm tired of waiting. Tired of hanging out at the house, washing dishes, doing laundry, settling stuff in the nursery. I'm trying to keep busy at home, but I can only do the same things with no change for so long. Let's add the challenge of a baby to the mix!! I get out of the house as often as I can, but try not to do too much to wear myself out. Laying around resting is getting old too. I know I should be relishing this time since it's about to all go away, but I'm ready to move on.

Maybe once we get past this date I will actually become less anxious about it?

I think Jim and I are pretty much ready for the hospital. My bag is as packed as it can be for now. I'll just need to throw a few last minute things in (like a hairbrush) and grab my pillow. We're keeping all our electronics charged up since we can't use outlets at the hospital.

The video camera is charging right now and then will be put in the car. No, we are not taping the birth. But I thought we could have the camera in the car just in case we want to take some video in the hospital before we leave. I hope I have at least one blank tape. Guess I still need to check that.

We put the stereo in the car with batteries just in case. Music is so important to me and really helps to calm me down. I have an iPod shuffle that will be with me. But Jim is concerned that I won't want (or can't have) the earphones in my ears but that I will still want music. So we'll have the stereo in the car just in case. I'm taking an Enya CD and two Josh Groban CDs as well as one "mixed" CD of mellow songs.

I'll update this blog as often as I can until we're hospital bound.
Wish us luck!

39 Week Appointment

The past week hasn't been terribly eventful. Last Wednesday I was having quite a bit of back pain and cramping. The feeling was constant so I didn't really think it was contractions. The following day I had a little less room in my lap, so I think it was all due to Joshua moving down a little bit.

I have been looking for Braxton-Hicks contractions but haven't really been convinced about what they should feel like and if I was having them. But I think I have finally figured it out. I was walking in the grocery store on Monday and suddenly felt the tightness. I couldn't blame it on any other movement I made and it clearly wasn't Joshua moving. So maybe I was finally identifying the Braxton-Hicks.

Yesterday we had an appointment with the doctor. I wasn't expecting to be dilated at all, but I sure was hoping. And sure enough I am one centimeter dilated and a little bit effaced. I was really happy to hear that. It doesn't really speak to anything about timing. It just indicates progress and that things are moving in the right direction. Jim and I are really hoping Joshua is born sometime this week.

38 Weeks

Being Off Work

So it’s been two weeks since I’ve left work. What have I been doing with myself?

The first three weekdays I was pretty much a bum. I slept and watched TV. The best thing I have to report is that I did work out every day. I started going to my mom’s Jazzercise Light classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. It’s a pretty good fit. Sometimes it gets a little too fast, so I gotta slow it down for me, and I can’t do all of the bending over moves. But it has felt great to get my body moving again. I’ve also walked and done yoga. Wednesday I had a wonderful pregnancy massage. Aaaaahhhhh.....

Thursday I started to come out of the fog and get some motivation. My mom came over and helped me get some nursery organization done. We washed a whole bunch of baby clothes, bedding and other stuff. And Friday we had our doctor appointment.

The second week really was quite busy. I reorganized the kitchen pantry to make room for the bottles and formulas etc. Melanie came over and helped me think a lot of things through. I'm such a planner, that the unknown is kind of freaking me out. I just want to know scenarios and be prepared for them. It's kinda funny because I do think I am pretty darn flexible, but I just like to be prepared. I also spent the week having lunch with people, getting my hair done and doing other house stuff.

Thursday the 8th, Jim's work threw a shower for us. It was really nice and we got several of the big items that we were getting a little worried about having. Friday we went to Babies R Us and tried to get everything else we needed. There are still a few items that we need, but I don't think any are really urgent, so we'll tackle those as we need.

37 Weeks - Doctor Update

Today was our 37 week appointment.

All is looking pretty well. The doctor did an ultrasound and we saw little Joshua wiggling his big toe. So great! She guessed his weight at 6 pounds 13 ounces. She thinks he will be born around eight pounds, maybe nine. But she keeps saying my height helps so it shouldn't be too bad.

He is head down, but he is facing the wrong direction (posterior). He hasn't dropped yet, so hopefully he'll turn the right way as he drops.

I am so perplexed by the "practice" contractions or Braxton-Hicks. I've been trying to figure out if I've been having them. I've asked my doctor, the Lamaze coach and friends what they should feel like and I keep getting different answers. I don't feel like I have felt any. I want to feel them, one, just to experience it, and two, just as a sign of progress. As things stand now, this kid looks like he's going to take his sweet time getting here.

Shower Hosted by My Mom

My mom hosted a baby shower for me on the 25th. A lot of the guests at this shower were women from my parents' Sunday School class who have watched me grow up since a young pup. We don't have a lot of local family, but that which we do have were invited as well. My mom did a really great job! Great food. Great games. Great times.

My mom had her cousin Terry supply us with his famous toffee. It is yumm-o stuff. He built a gourmet toffee business starting with my great-grandma's (his grandmother) recipe and making it other-worldly with infusions of other flavors. I like to make the original recipe at Christmas, but his special stuff is truly a treat. You should check him out at Terry's Toffee.

The toffee was put in these cute little animal cups.

Gotta have the train theme. :)
That fabric is the main inspiration for the nursery.

We're trying to do classic trains and planes in the nursery. It's been a little difficult to find decor I really like, so if you have any leads, let me know.

Loretta, Joyce, Linda, Shirley, Joan

Linda, Betty, Barbara, Melanie, Patti, Elaine

One of the neat activities my mom had was that each guest had to pick an envelope. Each envelope had a number on it, but they weren't told what the number represented until everyone had their envelope. Then, what ever number they had represented an age. They were to write a piece of advice for that age. I thought that was a pretty clever idea. Then my dad had a good idea to put a picture in each envelope of the person that wrote that note. That'll take some work, but I think it's a great idea.

Here is someone writing their advice.

How do you get a gaggle of women to be quiet? Make them race to finish a puzzle. It was so funny. There were about five teams and each had to put a puzzle together. The first to finish won. It got amazingly quiet. Such concentration (and competitiveness)!

Present time!

My mom had this darling basket full of goodies.
She even sewed a pillow, bumper, and pad covers.

I was overwhelmed by all the blessings.

My sister, Susan, flew down for the shower.

Davia was quite the social butterfly.

Our official baby book. YAY!!

It really was a wonderful shower. It's amazing to know so many of these women have been a part of my parents' lives for so many years. And it's always good to see family!

My Last Week of Work

This was my last week of work. It has felt like a long road to get here. It has taken a lot of time, a lot of training and a lot of procedure writing. I have not had anyone trained to back up my job for years. There has been lots of talk about it, but just never worked out to find the right solution or person to back me up. Luckily we were able to identify someone who I think is going to work out great. She’s had to absorb a lot of information in a short amount of time and she has handled it as well as (if not better than) is to be expected.

The fun kink that got added to my last week of work was that I was on-call for jury duty. I’ve only been summoned for jury duty once before and I only had to call in once and was dismissed immediately. This time I had to call in everyday to find out. And this wasn’t even calling in at night to find out if I was to report the next day. No. I had to call in at 11:00 am to see if I was to report at 12:30 the same day. Oh joy! So there was this constant threat of having to miss some time from work during my last week. I always figured that once I rolled my big belly in there that they would let me roll right out, so I wasn’t worried about getting stuck on a jury. I don’t think they would want to pause a trial every 30 minutes so I could visit the little girls’ room. But I never even had to report, so that was a relief.

But I think everything got lined up at work as well as it could amidst lots of curve balls. I received a nice little send off and was ready to leave. The last week or two my body has really struggled being at work all day. It will be weird and interesting to be home. I’ve been working normal, full-time office jobs since I was 19 or 20. I haven’t been home for even one week straight since then. Will I get bored? Restless? Start nesting? I’m hoping to have at least two good weeks at home before little Joshua decides he’s ready to get out. I’ll probably go back to work towards the end of January.

Lamaze

Jim and I had our first Lamaze class tonight.

First impression...? Not at all what I expected.

The room was a big stadium-seating-style lecture hall. We had to sit in desks with the little table tops that fold down beside the chairs. We had to fill out some paperwork and all these poor big-bellied women couldn’t even use the table tops. It was a pretty funny sight.

There were probably 30 couples there. The instructor had us go around the room and introduce ourselves and say where we were delivering. If the instructor was familiar with the hospital she would ask who their doctor was.

She just kind of gave some general information. She tends to ramble and go off on lots of rabbit trails. What is amazing is that despite the rabbit trails, she always remembers where she started. We watched one video about identifying early labor symptoms. Then we did about a 20 minute relaxation exercise.

Unfortunately this was just not the intimate Lamaze class I had always envisioned. The instructor admitted our room had been changed and that she was not happy with where we were. There were so many people in the class. The chairs were horribly uncomfortable. And trying to do a 20 minute relaxation exercise was just a joke to me.

The icing on all this cake was one expectant mom in particular who was sitting just two seats from me. I’m not sure how old this woman/girl was, but I would guess around 20. However, her mental age was closer to an early teenager. Her “coach” was her “legal guardian” and I would guess wasn’t playing with a full deck either. The problem was just the constant restlessness and disruptions coming from these two. They were constantly talking and make inappropriate comments. Expectant mom kept eating, leaving the room to get more food, and rustling all her food packages. Then during the video and relaxation exercise she started belching and giggling. I was aghast. I didn’t know how I was going to make it through this class.

The ray of light in this situation was that the instructor teaches this class at another location which was in danger of being canceled to due low enrollment. So she was asking people from our class to consider switching to that one. It didn’t look like this disruptive pair was going to move, so I gave Jim the “desperate eyes” to switch us over. We have to wait for a call to find out if the switch is a go.

Friends Shower

Two of my life-long friends, Melanie and Darcy, threw me a baby shower. This one I mostly invited friends from different walks of life. We picked out a really cute jungle theme for the shower that pretty well matched my colors.

The center pieces were really cute little pots trimmed with ribbon and filled with different stuffed animals that I (Joshua) get to keep.

The main activity was for guests to decorate onesies and diapers/burp cloths. Here are some used as decoration. I thought it was so cute!

Liz makes a burp cloth with a dump truck.

Here is Silas, Andrea's 6 month old son.
Such a cutie pie!

There was food GALORE!!

Creative people at work.
I tried doing one, but quickly ran out of patience. Creation is just not my thing!

Mmmmmm..... Carrot cake. My favorite!
There was so much frosting on this thing it was unbelievable.

Ellie was doing her best to relate.

Present time.

This little onesie was so cute as it says "Bear Hug" and the arms wrap around to the back.

Ashlynn was such a great help all day - handing out games and keeping me supplied with gifts to open.
What a star!

I'm such a sucker for stuffed animals.
I shall call this one Rupert.
(Just kidding, I don't know why.)

Michelle, Andrea and little Silas.

Yes, Joshua is a fall baby. So exciting!

Silas keeping up with the Oohs and Aaahs.

And now we have tons of decorating items.

My party planning buds - Darcy and Melanie.