I can't wait to share the rest of them in a couple weeks when we get them! Isn't he just the cutest? Be sure to check out her blog and leave her some love on it - she is amazing!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Chubby Cheeks
Yesterday, Lyndsay, an amazing lifestyle photographer came over to our house to take pictures of Will. We had SO much fun with her documenting Will as a tiny little baby :) She posted a sneak peek picture from our session and I'm in love with it (and even more in love with the little boy in it!)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
One Week
Dear Will,
Today you are one week old! This makes Mommy both happy and sad. I'm happy that you're healthy and growing (you were 8 pounds 3.5 ounces at the doctor yesterday!), but I'm sad that my time with you is already going way, way too fast. I can no longer count your age in days - you're now a whole week old! Your birth seems like it was forever ago, yet I can still remember the details so vividly. My favorite part was seeing you for the first time - seeing your perfect little nose, your adorable cleft chin, your long fingers and precious tiny feet. I love this stage with you, even though it means I'm up several times during the night nursing you and comforting you.
You make the most adorable faces! We say you have an "old man" forehead - it wrinkles up a thousand times when you frown. And you frown a lot! Anytime Mommy or Daddy does something that you're not too crazy about, you frown. You also have the most pathetic and adorable little pout. I'm going to have to be careful when you get older because I think that little pout could get me in a lot of trouble :) You are so snuggly right now too. I'm soaking up as much snuggle time with you now a I can. After I nurse you, you love to curl up on my chest and I'm content to let you lay there for as long as you like. Actually, I'm content to just be near you always. I can't believe how much my life has changed in the week that you've been here. I never could have imagined what it would be like with you here and I never, ever could have thought it would be so, so wonderful.
You got your first at-home bath last night, and boy, you were not a happy camper! Your Grandma and Daddy helped me bathe you while your Granddad took pictures. You screamed your head off and threw a huge fit. But once we were ready to start drying you off, you calmed right down! We swaddled you tight in a cozy warm blanket and you fell asleep right away. And you slept so well during the night - you let your Mommy and Daddy get three long stretches of sleep that were three hours each! We were glad to get the sleep and even more glad to see you get well rested too.
Whenever you get fussy, I put my face very close to yours and "shhhhush" you. It works 95% of the time. You nuzzle your little nose into my face and bury your face in my hair. This works when Daddy does it too. You love being close to us and you love being wrapped up in blankets. You also love your paci. You are definitely a paci guy! You know how to "hold" it into your mouth all by yourself too. When you're hungry and ready to eat, you usually start to scream your head off. But you know exactly what time it is when you get put down on a pillow next to Mommy. Just as you are about to latch on, you give one last little fuss - kind of an "ahh ahh" sound. It's like you're so relieved that you're getting to nurse again and it is so completely adorable!
Though I'm sad you're getting older, I love learning new things about you every day. I have such huge hopes and dreams for you, little boy. I pray that God will protect you and that he would lead you in a life that would glorify him. I want to see you grow up and learn all the Bible stories and learn to sing all the children's songs at church. I want to see you learn how to be submissive to God's will and how to listen to Him when he whispers to you. He has a purpose for your life and plans for you that are greater than your Daddy or I could ever imagine. I pray that you would always turn to God first - even before me or your Daddy.
I love you, Will. I love you so much it makes my heart ache.
Love,
Mommy
Today you are one week old! This makes Mommy both happy and sad. I'm happy that you're healthy and growing (you were 8 pounds 3.5 ounces at the doctor yesterday!), but I'm sad that my time with you is already going way, way too fast. I can no longer count your age in days - you're now a whole week old! Your birth seems like it was forever ago, yet I can still remember the details so vividly. My favorite part was seeing you for the first time - seeing your perfect little nose, your adorable cleft chin, your long fingers and precious tiny feet. I love this stage with you, even though it means I'm up several times during the night nursing you and comforting you.
You make the most adorable faces! We say you have an "old man" forehead - it wrinkles up a thousand times when you frown. And you frown a lot! Anytime Mommy or Daddy does something that you're not too crazy about, you frown. You also have the most pathetic and adorable little pout. I'm going to have to be careful when you get older because I think that little pout could get me in a lot of trouble :) You are so snuggly right now too. I'm soaking up as much snuggle time with you now a I can. After I nurse you, you love to curl up on my chest and I'm content to let you lay there for as long as you like. Actually, I'm content to just be near you always. I can't believe how much my life has changed in the week that you've been here. I never could have imagined what it would be like with you here and I never, ever could have thought it would be so, so wonderful.
You got your first at-home bath last night, and boy, you were not a happy camper! Your Grandma and Daddy helped me bathe you while your Granddad took pictures. You screamed your head off and threw a huge fit. But once we were ready to start drying you off, you calmed right down! We swaddled you tight in a cozy warm blanket and you fell asleep right away. And you slept so well during the night - you let your Mommy and Daddy get three long stretches of sleep that were three hours each! We were glad to get the sleep and even more glad to see you get well rested too.
Whenever you get fussy, I put my face very close to yours and "shhhhush" you. It works 95% of the time. You nuzzle your little nose into my face and bury your face in my hair. This works when Daddy does it too. You love being close to us and you love being wrapped up in blankets. You also love your paci. You are definitely a paci guy! You know how to "hold" it into your mouth all by yourself too. When you're hungry and ready to eat, you usually start to scream your head off. But you know exactly what time it is when you get put down on a pillow next to Mommy. Just as you are about to latch on, you give one last little fuss - kind of an "ahh ahh" sound. It's like you're so relieved that you're getting to nurse again and it is so completely adorable!
Though I'm sad you're getting older, I love learning new things about you every day. I have such huge hopes and dreams for you, little boy. I pray that God will protect you and that he would lead you in a life that would glorify him. I want to see you grow up and learn all the Bible stories and learn to sing all the children's songs at church. I want to see you learn how to be submissive to God's will and how to listen to Him when he whispers to you. He has a purpose for your life and plans for you that are greater than your Daddy or I could ever imagine. I pray that you would always turn to God first - even before me or your Daddy.
I love you, Will. I love you so much it makes my heart ache.
Love,
Mommy
Friday, April 3, 2009
Birth Story
I really want to post this story, not only for everyone to read, but also for me to have to remember all the little details. They're already fading away fast and I don't want to lose the memories! :)
On Saturday, 3/28, I woke up still having contractions. The night before, some stuff had happened (though I'll spare you the gory details!) that had me convinced I'd be going into active labor in the next few days. I hardly slept at all that night out of excitement! The contractions were very irregular and not incredibly painful, so I assumed I'd have all day to wait it out. Greg and I picked up around the house a little bit, ate breakfast, and I ended up able to take a little nap. When I woke up, the contractions were almost stopped, so I decided to go shopping to see if I could jump-start them again, and possibly push myself into active labor.
I drove to Target around 2:00pm, got in the store, and realized that my vision was a little "off." It seemed like I'd been staring at the sun for several minutes and everything had that dark, fuzzy look to it. I walked around and picked up a few things, hoping that it would get better. After about 5 minutes, I realized it wasn't getting better and then remembered that my doctor had told me that if I experienced any blurry vision that I should call or come in, because it could be a sign of pre-eclampsia. I called Labor and Delivery and they wanted me to come in right away. Of course, Greg and I only had one car at the moment (which I was driving), so I had to drive myself home.
We got to Scott and White and they hooked me up to the monitors. My blood pressure was fine and shortly after we arrived, my vision went back to normal. Greg and I relaxed a little, watched an episode of Dirty Jobs on TV, and waited to be discharged. We'd made plans to go to dinner at Chuy's with friends and were hoping we'd be able to make it there in time. The OB on call, Dr. Chapman came in and told us that every time I had a contraction the baby's heart rate dropped. When I wasn't, he was perfectly fine with a heart rate in the 140s, but because of the decels she wasn't comfortable sending us home. They were going to induce me that night! She checked me and I still hadn't made any progress since my last appointment - I was 1-2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. They usually use a medication called Cytotec to dilate the cervix, but once they start that medication, they can't take it away. She wasn' sure how Will's heart would handle the medicine, so instead they were going to use a Foley Bulb to manually dilate my cervix before starting Pitocin to get my contractions started.
Greg decided to go home to get our bags and feed the dogs since they basically had to take me from zero to 60, which would take awhile. A nurse came in and started an IV line in my hand after he left and I asked if I could use the bathroom before they got started. They unhooked me from the monitors and left me alone in the room. When I got back to bed, I plugged the monitors back in. Nothing was registering on them, but I just figured I'd plugged them in wrong. A nurse came in and moved the heart rate monitor around on my stomach and finally got a heart rate to register, but it was in the 60s. She started lowering my bed down, pushed the nurse call button and said, "I need Heather and Dr. Chapman in here NOW!" She rolled me over to my left side and people literally came running into my room. I started crying, realizing that there was a chance I'd never get to meet the little person who had been growing inside me for the last 9 months, who I already loved so much. Heather put an oxygen mask on me and kept telling me to take deep, slow breaths. After what seemed like an eternity, Will's heart rate came back up and stabilized in the 140s. Dr. Chapman said, "Well, he just told us that he's not going to tolerate labor, so we're going to get him out of there quickly and safely." Heather, one of the awesome nurses called Greg and had him turn around and get back to the hospital ASAP. Since Will's heart rate was stable, they were able to wait for Greg to get back to the hospital before doing anything.
Greg got back about the same time that my parents arrived. I had to sign consent forms, get a catheter inserted, and drink an incredibly nasty antacid since I'd already eaten that day. The anesthesiologist and pediatrician all came in to talk to me about what would go on and one I was all prepped, they wheeled me back to the operating room. The operating room was freezing and one of the nurses brought me a warm blanket so I'd stop shivering before they gave me the spinal block. The anesthesiologist had me lean over one of the nurses and he gave me a local anesthetic to numb the area for the block. Heather held the heart rate monitor on my belly and I worried the entire time that his heart rate would drop again since I was sitting up and not on my left side. Thankfully it didn't. The spinal really didn't hurt at all...The local felt like a tiny pinch, but the spinal just felt like lots of pressure. I was really worried about it hurting, but it really was no big deal! Before I'd even sat up completely, my feet were already feeling numb. They had to help pick up my legs and lay me back on the because I already was losing feeling from about chest level down. I really hated the way the spinal made me feel...it was very claustrophobic not being able to move your legs at all. It also came up to the bottoms of my lungs and made it feel like I couldn't get a deep breath. Heather started cleaning off my stomach with iodine and it was the strangest sensation ever! I could feel the touch of the sponge with iodine, but I couldn't feel the temperature. The nurses assured me that I really was numb, but I wasn't entirely sure I believed them!
Afterwards they put a drape up that was incredibly close to my face. Everyone was moving around and they started monitoring my blood pressure intermittently. I guess my pulse shot up because the anesthesiologist said, "Are you alright?" I told him I was just a little nervous. He put an oxygen mask on me to help get my heart rate down some. After he put the oxygen mask on me, I started feeling very claustrophobic. I couldn't breathe very well, I couldn't move my arms because they were strapped down to the table, and I had this blue drape about an inch in front of my face. The anesthesiologist could tell I was getting a little panicked and he came back over to talk to me and took off the mask. At 7:25, Greg came in and held my hand and brushed my hair away from my face. It calmed me down so much just knowing he was right there. I kept my eyes closed most of the time and focused on taking really deep breaths. They started cutting right when he got in there, but like they said, I couldn't feel a thing! I could feel them tugging on me and there was lots and lots of pushing as they tried to get his big head out of a tiny incision on my stomach. At 7:36, they pulled him out and wisked him off to the warmer to make sure everything was alright. I was disappointed that I hadn't gotten to see him right after he was born, but it was so relieving to hear him crying. I didn't know this while they were doing the c-section, but afterwards Greg said that his heart rate had dropped really low again while they were cutting into me and I think they were probably worried about him when they got him out. We're still not sure what was causing his heart rate to drop. The cord wasn't wrapped around his neck or anything, but it was draped by his shoulder. Dr. Chapman said it was possible that each contraction put pressure on it and cut off his blood supply, but we really won't ever know.
Greg went over to the warmer to take pictures of him when he was just a few seconds old. I could hear him crying and I remember feeling so relieved that he was alright. Greg came and sat back down by me and told me how gorgeous and perfect he was. Once they got him cleaned off, they brought him over to Greg to hold. He scored 9 and 9 on his Apgars and screamed his head off until he got all wrapped up. I remember touching his cheek for the first time and loving how soft he and warm he felt. I think the first thing I said to Greg when I saw him (a nurse brought him over after they checked him out) was, "Oh, he has my chin!" He inherited my cleft chin and it's pretty adorable on him! Greg held him while I was getting stitched up. They moved me from the operating table back to my bed, handed him to me, and wheeled me back into my room. The whole thing really only took about 30 minutes, but it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life!
I remember thinking during the c-section that if I had to go through this again, I was never having kids again. But looking back on it, it really wasn't that bad. The worst, scariest part was not knowing if everything was going to be alright or not. I was so worried about Will and so scared that he wasn't going to make it. I can't thank God enough that he gave me that little warning sign of blurry vision which tipped me off to head into the hospital. I can't even bear to think about what would have happened if I hadn't gone in. Luckily, I did, and now we have our perfect little blessing from God in our arms :)
Here are a few more pictures of our little boy.
Heather explaining something and helping to calm me down. The nurses at Scott and White were SO fantastic!
Getting ready to have our little boy! :)
Just seconds old.
Back in our room yawning while I get checked out.
His precious little feet!
Greg and I in awe with our little boy :)
Our first family photo!
Our amazing night nurse, Tina, giving Will his first bath.
Will's first bath. As you can see, he was not a fan of it!
Hanging out in the warmer all clean from his bath.
Sleeping on Mommy's chest. Snuggling with him like this is one of my favorite things ever!
On Saturday, 3/28, I woke up still having contractions. The night before, some stuff had happened (though I'll spare you the gory details!) that had me convinced I'd be going into active labor in the next few days. I hardly slept at all that night out of excitement! The contractions were very irregular and not incredibly painful, so I assumed I'd have all day to wait it out. Greg and I picked up around the house a little bit, ate breakfast, and I ended up able to take a little nap. When I woke up, the contractions were almost stopped, so I decided to go shopping to see if I could jump-start them again, and possibly push myself into active labor.
I drove to Target around 2:00pm, got in the store, and realized that my vision was a little "off." It seemed like I'd been staring at the sun for several minutes and everything had that dark, fuzzy look to it. I walked around and picked up a few things, hoping that it would get better. After about 5 minutes, I realized it wasn't getting better and then remembered that my doctor had told me that if I experienced any blurry vision that I should call or come in, because it could be a sign of pre-eclampsia. I called Labor and Delivery and they wanted me to come in right away. Of course, Greg and I only had one car at the moment (which I was driving), so I had to drive myself home.
We got to Scott and White and they hooked me up to the monitors. My blood pressure was fine and shortly after we arrived, my vision went back to normal. Greg and I relaxed a little, watched an episode of Dirty Jobs on TV, and waited to be discharged. We'd made plans to go to dinner at Chuy's with friends and were hoping we'd be able to make it there in time. The OB on call, Dr. Chapman came in and told us that every time I had a contraction the baby's heart rate dropped. When I wasn't, he was perfectly fine with a heart rate in the 140s, but because of the decels she wasn't comfortable sending us home. They were going to induce me that night! She checked me and I still hadn't made any progress since my last appointment - I was 1-2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. They usually use a medication called Cytotec to dilate the cervix, but once they start that medication, they can't take it away. She wasn' sure how Will's heart would handle the medicine, so instead they were going to use a Foley Bulb to manually dilate my cervix before starting Pitocin to get my contractions started.
Greg decided to go home to get our bags and feed the dogs since they basically had to take me from zero to 60, which would take awhile. A nurse came in and started an IV line in my hand after he left and I asked if I could use the bathroom before they got started. They unhooked me from the monitors and left me alone in the room. When I got back to bed, I plugged the monitors back in. Nothing was registering on them, but I just figured I'd plugged them in wrong. A nurse came in and moved the heart rate monitor around on my stomach and finally got a heart rate to register, but it was in the 60s. She started lowering my bed down, pushed the nurse call button and said, "I need Heather and Dr. Chapman in here NOW!" She rolled me over to my left side and people literally came running into my room. I started crying, realizing that there was a chance I'd never get to meet the little person who had been growing inside me for the last 9 months, who I already loved so much. Heather put an oxygen mask on me and kept telling me to take deep, slow breaths. After what seemed like an eternity, Will's heart rate came back up and stabilized in the 140s. Dr. Chapman said, "Well, he just told us that he's not going to tolerate labor, so we're going to get him out of there quickly and safely." Heather, one of the awesome nurses called Greg and had him turn around and get back to the hospital ASAP. Since Will's heart rate was stable, they were able to wait for Greg to get back to the hospital before doing anything.
Greg got back about the same time that my parents arrived. I had to sign consent forms, get a catheter inserted, and drink an incredibly nasty antacid since I'd already eaten that day. The anesthesiologist and pediatrician all came in to talk to me about what would go on and one I was all prepped, they wheeled me back to the operating room. The operating room was freezing and one of the nurses brought me a warm blanket so I'd stop shivering before they gave me the spinal block. The anesthesiologist had me lean over one of the nurses and he gave me a local anesthetic to numb the area for the block. Heather held the heart rate monitor on my belly and I worried the entire time that his heart rate would drop again since I was sitting up and not on my left side. Thankfully it didn't. The spinal really didn't hurt at all...The local felt like a tiny pinch, but the spinal just felt like lots of pressure. I was really worried about it hurting, but it really was no big deal! Before I'd even sat up completely, my feet were already feeling numb. They had to help pick up my legs and lay me back on the because I already was losing feeling from about chest level down. I really hated the way the spinal made me feel...it was very claustrophobic not being able to move your legs at all. It also came up to the bottoms of my lungs and made it feel like I couldn't get a deep breath. Heather started cleaning off my stomach with iodine and it was the strangest sensation ever! I could feel the touch of the sponge with iodine, but I couldn't feel the temperature. The nurses assured me that I really was numb, but I wasn't entirely sure I believed them!
Afterwards they put a drape up that was incredibly close to my face. Everyone was moving around and they started monitoring my blood pressure intermittently. I guess my pulse shot up because the anesthesiologist said, "Are you alright?" I told him I was just a little nervous. He put an oxygen mask on me to help get my heart rate down some. After he put the oxygen mask on me, I started feeling very claustrophobic. I couldn't breathe very well, I couldn't move my arms because they were strapped down to the table, and I had this blue drape about an inch in front of my face. The anesthesiologist could tell I was getting a little panicked and he came back over to talk to me and took off the mask. At 7:25, Greg came in and held my hand and brushed my hair away from my face. It calmed me down so much just knowing he was right there. I kept my eyes closed most of the time and focused on taking really deep breaths. They started cutting right when he got in there, but like they said, I couldn't feel a thing! I could feel them tugging on me and there was lots and lots of pushing as they tried to get his big head out of a tiny incision on my stomach. At 7:36, they pulled him out and wisked him off to the warmer to make sure everything was alright. I was disappointed that I hadn't gotten to see him right after he was born, but it was so relieving to hear him crying. I didn't know this while they were doing the c-section, but afterwards Greg said that his heart rate had dropped really low again while they were cutting into me and I think they were probably worried about him when they got him out. We're still not sure what was causing his heart rate to drop. The cord wasn't wrapped around his neck or anything, but it was draped by his shoulder. Dr. Chapman said it was possible that each contraction put pressure on it and cut off his blood supply, but we really won't ever know.
Greg went over to the warmer to take pictures of him when he was just a few seconds old. I could hear him crying and I remember feeling so relieved that he was alright. Greg came and sat back down by me and told me how gorgeous and perfect he was. Once they got him cleaned off, they brought him over to Greg to hold. He scored 9 and 9 on his Apgars and screamed his head off until he got all wrapped up. I remember touching his cheek for the first time and loving how soft he and warm he felt. I think the first thing I said to Greg when I saw him (a nurse brought him over after they checked him out) was, "Oh, he has my chin!" He inherited my cleft chin and it's pretty adorable on him! Greg held him while I was getting stitched up. They moved me from the operating table back to my bed, handed him to me, and wheeled me back into my room. The whole thing really only took about 30 minutes, but it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life!
I remember thinking during the c-section that if I had to go through this again, I was never having kids again. But looking back on it, it really wasn't that bad. The worst, scariest part was not knowing if everything was going to be alright or not. I was so worried about Will and so scared that he wasn't going to make it. I can't thank God enough that he gave me that little warning sign of blurry vision which tipped me off to head into the hospital. I can't even bear to think about what would have happened if I hadn't gone in. Luckily, I did, and now we have our perfect little blessing from God in our arms :)
Here are a few more pictures of our little boy.
Heather explaining something and helping to calm me down. The nurses at Scott and White were SO fantastic!
Getting ready to have our little boy! :)
Just seconds old.
Back in our room yawning while I get checked out.
His precious little feet!
Greg and I in awe with our little boy :)
Our first family photo!
Our amazing night nurse, Tina, giving Will his first bath.
Will's first bath. As you can see, he was not a fan of it!
Hanging out in the warmer all clean from his bath.
Sleeping on Mommy's chest. Snuggling with him like this is one of my favorite things ever!Wednesday, April 1, 2009
William Matthew Johnson
William Matthew Johnson was born on March 28, 2009 at 7:36pm. He weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds 12 ounces and is 21 inches long. He scored a 9 and 9 on his Apgars and is pretty much the cutest thing I've seen in ages :) His mommy and daddy are pretty much in love with him (and his chubby little cheeks!) and we think he's pretty much perfect!
Being a mom is one of the best feelings in the entire world - I cannot believe that God entrusted me with this little life to nurture and protect. I love him so much already and I've only known him for four days...I'd already do anything for him. It was so surreal taking him home from the hospital. We had been waiting for that moment for so long and to actually get to leave with our baby was wonderful! I can't stop staring at him, especially when he's napping with his daddy! My two boys are awesome :) I will come back later to post my birth story (because it's quite interesting and ends with an emergency c-section), but right now, I'm off to take a nap with my boys!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Focus on the Positive
I wanted to title this post "What's Wrong With People?" because I think I've said that about 15 times today. But I'm also 9 months pregnant, 3 days away from my due date, and incredibly uncomfortable. So I think that I might be just a teensy bit grumpy! Instead of dwelling on what the heck is wrong with the dealership general manager who'd rather back out on a sale than give us an extra key for the car, or the kids that ride skateboards in the middle of the road without getting out of the way of cars, or the people who don't take care of their houses, I'm going to focus on the positives of today.
1. It rained. A lot! Our crepe myrtles in the backyard are starting to get tiny green leaves on them and everything around here is greening up. Plus the bluebonnets are coming out and I'm excited to try to get some shots of Will in them!
2. Things are a-happenin'. That's all I'm going to say about that, because just because I think things are happening the way they SHOULD be happening doesn't mean anything. But I feel significantly different today than I did yesterday (oh, the pressure!) and even though I'm more uncomfortable, it's gotta be a sign that it's getting closer!
3. I had the car today, so I got to do some shopping. I spent some cash at Target and got a couple books at Barnes and Noble. It was SO good to get out of the house!
4. A cold front is coming in tonight. Whether it's statistical or not, there's a wives tale that says that more babies are born when there is a low barometric pressure. Add #2 on top of that one, and I'm crossing my fingers for a 3/28 baby! Although I'd take a 3/29 baby, or even a 3/30 baby. But I'm really, really hoping for the 3/28 baby.
5. Today was Friday. That means in one way or another, Will will be here or be on his way out by next Friday. I can make it seven more days. I might be a little more grumpy and a lot more uncomfortable, but I can make it 7 more days.
6. Will has been moving around a ton lately. I think he's trying to let me get my fix in before he comes. I enjoy it, unless he's trying to break free through my ribs. I do not enjoy that one single bit.
I think that's all the positive I have in me right now. I didn't sleep well at all last night which makes the 9 month pregnant, 3 days from her due date, incredibly uncomfortable pregnant lady even more grumpy. I'm definitely taking the Benadryl tonight!
1. It rained. A lot! Our crepe myrtles in the backyard are starting to get tiny green leaves on them and everything around here is greening up. Plus the bluebonnets are coming out and I'm excited to try to get some shots of Will in them!
2. Things are a-happenin'. That's all I'm going to say about that, because just because I think things are happening the way they SHOULD be happening doesn't mean anything. But I feel significantly different today than I did yesterday (oh, the pressure!) and even though I'm more uncomfortable, it's gotta be a sign that it's getting closer!
3. I had the car today, so I got to do some shopping. I spent some cash at Target and got a couple books at Barnes and Noble. It was SO good to get out of the house!
4. A cold front is coming in tonight. Whether it's statistical or not, there's a wives tale that says that more babies are born when there is a low barometric pressure. Add #2 on top of that one, and I'm crossing my fingers for a 3/28 baby! Although I'd take a 3/29 baby, or even a 3/30 baby. But I'm really, really hoping for the 3/28 baby.
5. Today was Friday. That means in one way or another, Will will be here or be on his way out by next Friday. I can make it seven more days. I might be a little more grumpy and a lot more uncomfortable, but I can make it 7 more days.
6. Will has been moving around a ton lately. I think he's trying to let me get my fix in before he comes. I enjoy it, unless he's trying to break free through my ribs. I do not enjoy that one single bit.
I think that's all the positive I have in me right now. I didn't sleep well at all last night which makes the 9 month pregnant, 3 days from her due date, incredibly uncomfortable pregnant lady even more grumpy. I'm definitely taking the Benadryl tonight!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Update
I had my doctor's appointment today. Despite having contractions for the past two days, I haven't made one ounce of progress. Still 1cm dilated, 50% effaced. I asked about an induction because I am that desperate to get some sleep and relief from the contractions...she said that she's not comfortable doing one until I'm at least 2-3cm and 70-80% effaced. Oye! The reason is that Pitocin (the drug they give you to get your uterus to contract) is only effective in helping you along if you're already dilated so much. Without being as far along as she recommends, the Pitocin would only make me have painful contractions and wouldn't be very helpful in dilating...which is what needs to happen! The chances of me having a failed induction and ending up with a c-section go way up if that happens.
She did say that she'll see me at my 40week appointment and if nothing is happening still, we could schedule an induction for next Friday (the 3rd). She will be on call and would therefore be the one to deliver the baby, which is a good thing! At least I know there is an end in sight :)
She did tell me I could take some Benadryl tonight to help me sleep. I'm going to try it and hope it helps at least a little bit! After my appointment I had pretty steady contractions (5-6 minutes apart) for about an hour to an hour and a half. After dinner, they slowly tapered off to where they have been for the past few days...about 15ish minutes apart and not super strong, but annoying.
Since we sold our truck and I'm on "bed rest" at home, I've found myself feeling incredibly bored! (I'm not actually on bed rest, but my doctor wants me to take it easy and keep my feet up. She thinks I'm doing too much and doesn't want to put any unnecessary stress on me or the baby). The entire house is clean, I've done every bit of laundry, and I've even started organizing the office...which is a huge, huge task! Any ideas of what else I could do to keep myself busy at home for however long it is before he comes?
Say a prayer and send some thoughts my way that this won't go until next Friday!
She did say that she'll see me at my 40week appointment and if nothing is happening still, we could schedule an induction for next Friday (the 3rd). She will be on call and would therefore be the one to deliver the baby, which is a good thing! At least I know there is an end in sight :)
She did tell me I could take some Benadryl tonight to help me sleep. I'm going to try it and hope it helps at least a little bit! After my appointment I had pretty steady contractions (5-6 minutes apart) for about an hour to an hour and a half. After dinner, they slowly tapered off to where they have been for the past few days...about 15ish minutes apart and not super strong, but annoying.
Since we sold our truck and I'm on "bed rest" at home, I've found myself feeling incredibly bored! (I'm not actually on bed rest, but my doctor wants me to take it easy and keep my feet up. She thinks I'm doing too much and doesn't want to put any unnecessary stress on me or the baby). The entire house is clean, I've done every bit of laundry, and I've even started organizing the office...which is a huge, huge task! Any ideas of what else I could do to keep myself busy at home for however long it is before he comes?
Say a prayer and send some thoughts my way that this won't go until next Friday!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Eviction Notice
Dear William,
Please consider this your final eviction notice. Your lease is up on Monday, however there have been some questionable practices going on in your dwelling place since Sunday night. These include (but are not limited to), painful contractions that don't end up in labor and attempted rib-breaking. You have 24 hours to vacate the premises or your landlord may have to forcefully remove you.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Mommy
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I'm 39 weeks today. I know that I'm not to my due date yet, but the past few days have been somewhat close to torture. I've been having fairly regular contractions since Monday morning at 3am. They get further apart during the day (and sometimes allow me a little break and disappear completely), but they strike again in the middle of the night. I'm operating on about 8 hours of sleep for the past 48 hours and it's not pretty! In the past few hours, they've intensified slightly (though they're still irregular and not close together), and I'm also having what I'd consider back labor. My lower back hurts terribly with each contraction. Definitely not a fun feeling! My OB said that this could possibly go on for a week. After two days of it, I'm about to beg for an induction at my appointment tomorrow...I'm SO tired, physically and emotionally...completely drained. I'm not sure how I'm expected to go through labor and then care for a newborn when I haven't been sleeping. I'm going to take some Benadryl tonight and see if that helps any. I'm not too optimistic!
In more positive news, I got one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts on Sunday. It's from my Aunt Gena, my cousins, my grandma, and my mom. Way back in October, my mom flew out to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the balloon festival. She stayed with my Aunt. My grandma came down at the same time. Apparently, an idea was concocted then to create a quilt for Baby Will...although we didn't know that Will was a "he" at the time! Each girl created a square for the quilt that had to have a heart and a character on it. After everyone finished their square, my Aunt Gena quilted the whole thing and then my grandma hand-sewed the binding. They sent it to my mom and I picked it up on Sunday. I LOVE IT!! It's seriously the perfect gift :) And the funny thing is, I was able to tell, just by looking at the squares who created them. I'm so excited to have such a meaningful thing for Will to use through his entire life. And I know that thing is going to get lots and lots of love.
Top (Left) - Emily's square, Grandma's square; Middle - Mom's square, Hannah's square; Bottom (Left) - Ruthie's square, Gena's squareI'll update after my appointment tomorrow, although I'm really, REALLY praying that this baby decides to arrive before then. If that's the case, I may not update for a few days :)
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