Hello, everyone!
Well... it's almost Christmas. And my Christmas cards are still in a box and not sent (they arrived on Tuesday), there are still a few gifts to buy and wrap, and generally, I wish there were a few more weeks before we dove head-long into the Christmas and New Year's week.
However, when I start to think on all of the things I do not have done yet, I remember that this holiday isn't really about gifts and food and cards anyway... it's about Christ! In the end, the rest of it doesn't really matter... just that one thing.
I think about baby Jesus a lot these days, what with having Julia in our lives. She is so small, so precious... totally dependent on Adam and me for food, shelter, and warmth (even if she does rule the roost...!). Four weeks ago she was still on the 'inside'... not quite real to me, even though I could feel her move around. And now she is here, and I cannot imagine my life without her. She is everything I dreamed and hoped she could be; I thank God every day for her. How must Mary have felt to know she was giving birth and gave birth to the one people would call Savior?
I don't tend to get too 'preachy' on my blog... but I had to share these thoughts. After all... 'tis the season. And, I know so many of us could use a reminder (myself included) that this holiday we call Christmas is not meant to be a time to be stressed out, overspent, and running ragged. It is a time of celebration of the one called Jesus, a sweet baby who became the Savior of the world. What could be more important than that....?
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Hugs!
Erin
ps. I hope to have new pictures of Julia up soon. We have been spending a lot of time getting to know each other... but I often forget to take pictures of her! :)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Mommy & Buscha play Baby Photographers!
Okay...
Who wants to take a baby to have professional pictures taken when you have no idea if they are going to be awake and happy versus asleep and crying?
After a few days of waiting for a good 'awake and happy' time that also coincided with Julia getting a fresh bath, her grandma (Buscha Draeger) and I played 'photographer' and snapped some pictures of Julia... and we love how they turned out! We hope you like them too!
Erin
Who wants to take a baby to have professional pictures taken when you have no idea if they are going to be awake and happy versus asleep and crying?
After a few days of waiting for a good 'awake and happy' time that also coincided with Julia getting a fresh bath, her grandma (Buscha Draeger) and I played 'photographer' and snapped some pictures of Julia... and we love how they turned out! We hope you like them too!
Erin
December 11th...
Okay... WHERE has December gone?
It feels as though only yesterday I was putting up the tree and going to the hospital, and today Julia is 17 days old! WOW!
We are having a 'wintery' sort of day today... it is Adam's last day home before going back to work, and the weather has been less than stellar. We were planning to drive to Cedar Rapids today for my holiday party for work (Donatech), but the weather kept us home and watching tree branches / limbs fall instead (here's a view off of our deck looking over at the neighbors... all I can say is that having our trees 'cleaned out' and 'topped' two years ago was definitely worth it!).
Sunday Adam's parents left and headed back to Wisconsin... but not before we had a few more pictures...
We had a wonderful time with them here and were sad to see them go. :( Julia was definitely loved on while they were here, though! :) No doubt about that!
Today Julia had a bath and did a wonderful job of letting me clean her up and wash her hair without her crying. However, as soon as I laid her down to put a diaper back on her and dress her, she pooped and peed everywhere. I couldn't help but laugh. :) Nothing like having to give a baby a second bath because of THAT mess! She seemed pretty happy, though. I think she was laughing too. :) Good thing we keep a 'miniature' changing pad on top of the regular one... makes for an easy clean up.
To think that a week ago that would have made me cry... I'm finally getting into the swing of things with this 'mothering' business.
Lesson 1: Laugh, even when you think you should cry. (Ha, that has certainly be helpful and probably the best thing I can remember to do when things aren't going so well. :) It certainly makes me feel better, at any rate!)
Otherwise... now just to finish the shopping, write the Christmas letter that goes with our Christmas picture, pack up my maternity clothes and find things in my non-maternity clothes to wear to church and the like (ha, ha, the maternity shirt is NOT cutting it anymore!!!)... and you know, figure out how to do 'regular life' stuff with a baby. :) Should be a fun time!
Hugs to you all!
Erin
It feels as though only yesterday I was putting up the tree and going to the hospital, and today Julia is 17 days old! WOW!
We are having a 'wintery' sort of day today... it is Adam's last day home before going back to work, and the weather has been less than stellar. We were planning to drive to Cedar Rapids today for my holiday party for work (Donatech), but the weather kept us home and watching tree branches / limbs fall instead (here's a view off of our deck looking over at the neighbors... all I can say is that having our trees 'cleaned out' and 'topped' two years ago was definitely worth it!).
Sunday Adam's parents left and headed back to Wisconsin... but not before we had a few more pictures...
We had a wonderful time with them here and were sad to see them go. :( Julia was definitely loved on while they were here, though! :) No doubt about that!
Today Julia had a bath and did a wonderful job of letting me clean her up and wash her hair without her crying. However, as soon as I laid her down to put a diaper back on her and dress her, she pooped and peed everywhere. I couldn't help but laugh. :) Nothing like having to give a baby a second bath because of THAT mess! She seemed pretty happy, though. I think she was laughing too. :) Good thing we keep a 'miniature' changing pad on top of the regular one... makes for an easy clean up.
To think that a week ago that would have made me cry... I'm finally getting into the swing of things with this 'mothering' business.
Lesson 1: Laugh, even when you think you should cry. (Ha, that has certainly be helpful and probably the best thing I can remember to do when things aren't going so well. :) It certainly makes me feel better, at any rate!)
Otherwise... now just to finish the shopping, write the Christmas letter that goes with our Christmas picture, pack up my maternity clothes and find things in my non-maternity clothes to wear to church and the like (ha, ha, the maternity shirt is NOT cutting it anymore!!!)... and you know, figure out how to do 'regular life' stuff with a baby. :) Should be a fun time!
Hugs to you all!
Erin
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Buscha and Grandpa visit!
Hello!
Buscha and Grandpa Draeger have arrived and are LOVING their new grandbaby! :) And... Jules loves the cuddles and love they are so willing to proffer up!
Buscha (BTW... Buscha is the Polish word for Grandma) and Grandpa arrive and see Jules for the first time.
Three generations... Adam looks on as Grandpa Ron and Julia have a little chat.
Buscha and Grandpa play with Julia on her changing table.
Julia sports the new hat that Auntie Claire made for her (THANK YOU, Auntie Claire! The hat is SOOOOOO cute!).
Mommy's friend Racheal visits. (Rach is expecting in March and we're SOOOO excited for her baby too!)
Mommy and Alecia's GEMS class surprises Erin with a visit during caroling Wednesday night. (I was crying like a baby when I saw that they were all outside of our door... it was AWESOME!)
Daddy plays with Julia before bedtime.
Last night we took a family picture for our Christmas card... that might go out later than normal, but we'll be working on it in the next week.
Buscha and Grandpa will be here until Sunday... we're so excited that they are here visiting! I will probably update with more pictures throughout the weekend.
We hope you enjoy the blog and the pictures! We're looking forward to more visitors (but are enjoying a nice day at home in the snow today), so feel free to stop by (we'd appreciate a call first). Take care and lots of hugs to you!
Erin
Buscha and Grandpa Draeger have arrived and are LOVING their new grandbaby! :) And... Jules loves the cuddles and love they are so willing to proffer up!
Buscha (BTW... Buscha is the Polish word for Grandma) and Grandpa arrive and see Jules for the first time.
Three generations... Adam looks on as Grandpa Ron and Julia have a little chat.
Buscha and Grandpa play with Julia on her changing table.
Julia sports the new hat that Auntie Claire made for her (THANK YOU, Auntie Claire! The hat is SOOOOOO cute!).
Mommy's friend Racheal visits. (Rach is expecting in March and we're SOOOO excited for her baby too!)
Mommy and Alecia's GEMS class surprises Erin with a visit during caroling Wednesday night. (I was crying like a baby when I saw that they were all outside of our door... it was AWESOME!)
Daddy plays with Julia before bedtime.
Last night we took a family picture for our Christmas card... that might go out later than normal, but we'll be working on it in the next week.
Buscha and Grandpa will be here until Sunday... we're so excited that they are here visiting! I will probably update with more pictures throughout the weekend.
We hope you enjoy the blog and the pictures! We're looking forward to more visitors (but are enjoying a nice day at home in the snow today), so feel free to stop by (we'd appreciate a call first). Take care and lots of hugs to you!
Erin
Auntie Lissy and Great-Grandpa John come to visit!
On Tuesday my sister and grandpa came to visit and stayed until Wednesday afternoon. Auntie is in love with her new niece and it was fun to see Julia and her Great-Grandpa John together. (Note: Julia is named after Grandpa John's mom, my Great-Grandma.)
Here are a few pictures from their visit:
Have a great Thursday (afternoon)!
Erin
Here are a few pictures from their visit:
Have a great Thursday (afternoon)!
Erin
Update...
Hi, all!
It's been a few days or so since I've updated, but we have great visitors now (helpful in-laws) who love to hold Julia all day, so I have time to do 'normal' life stuff like laundry and ironing and updating the blog. (Oh, yeah. And sleep. My husband is a SAINT and got up with Jules at 8 AM this morning and I slept till 11 AM. Ha, think all you want that I just sleep all the time... we were up till 1 AM and then up from 4 AM to 7 AM. I am SOOOO thankful Adam has FMLA and has off of work until next Wednesday when he goes back.)
Have I mentioned that I love my daughter to pieces and that I DO love being a mom? God certainly knows what he's doing when a baby is born... I was infused with such a great amount of love and patience... more than I ever knew could possibly exist... and even though I am sleep-deprived, forget to eat, and basically forget to take care of myself in general (although, ha, I HAVE to take a shower every day... that is a NECESSITY!)... I have all of the time in the world to make sure my daughter is healthy and happy... she's SUCH a blessing!
We had our well-baby checkup yesterday with Jules' doctor, and she has gained a 1/2 lb since we came home!!! :) How wonderful! That means she is eating and gaining well! She was 7 lbs 3.5 oz when she was born, 7 lbs 4 oz when she came home from Blank, and yesterday she checked in at 7 lbs 12 oz. WOOHOO! I was so happy! She's such a content baby... she doesn't cry or fuss much unless she's seriously hungry (or thinks she is) or when she needs a good cuddle. But otherwise, she's just happy sleeping or being a wake... it's just good stuff, this baby business!
At the well-baby checkup, I asked my nurse to weigh me... and WOOHOO! I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight! NO JOKING! How cool / fun is that? :) Of course, like I said, I have to be reminded to eat meals (even though I'm starving all of the time, it seems), and I'm sure the lack of sleep is not helping either! But, ha, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And back in my pre-preggo jeans. They bother the C-section incision a little bit, but at least they are not falling off every time I move (i.e., the maternity jeans). So I'm finally giving up the maternity jeans. But, ha, not my gray pants. I love those pants too much. I will wear those for a while yet, regardless of the big wide band at the top. ;)
Well... just wanted to say "HI!" to you all! I have a few more posts to put up! Hugs to you all and thanks for the emails and comments... one of these days I'll 'get back to you'! I promise!!! :)
Erin
It's been a few days or so since I've updated, but we have great visitors now (helpful in-laws) who love to hold Julia all day, so I have time to do 'normal' life stuff like laundry and ironing and updating the blog. (Oh, yeah. And sleep. My husband is a SAINT and got up with Jules at 8 AM this morning and I slept till 11 AM. Ha, think all you want that I just sleep all the time... we were up till 1 AM and then up from 4 AM to 7 AM. I am SOOOO thankful Adam has FMLA and has off of work until next Wednesday when he goes back.)
Have I mentioned that I love my daughter to pieces and that I DO love being a mom? God certainly knows what he's doing when a baby is born... I was infused with such a great amount of love and patience... more than I ever knew could possibly exist... and even though I am sleep-deprived, forget to eat, and basically forget to take care of myself in general (although, ha, I HAVE to take a shower every day... that is a NECESSITY!)... I have all of the time in the world to make sure my daughter is healthy and happy... she's SUCH a blessing!
We had our well-baby checkup yesterday with Jules' doctor, and she has gained a 1/2 lb since we came home!!! :) How wonderful! That means she is eating and gaining well! She was 7 lbs 3.5 oz when she was born, 7 lbs 4 oz when she came home from Blank, and yesterday she checked in at 7 lbs 12 oz. WOOHOO! I was so happy! She's such a content baby... she doesn't cry or fuss much unless she's seriously hungry (or thinks she is) or when she needs a good cuddle. But otherwise, she's just happy sleeping or being a wake... it's just good stuff, this baby business!
At the well-baby checkup, I asked my nurse to weigh me... and WOOHOO! I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight! NO JOKING! How cool / fun is that? :) Of course, like I said, I have to be reminded to eat meals (even though I'm starving all of the time, it seems), and I'm sure the lack of sleep is not helping either! But, ha, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And back in my pre-preggo jeans. They bother the C-section incision a little bit, but at least they are not falling off every time I move (i.e., the maternity jeans). So I'm finally giving up the maternity jeans. But, ha, not my gray pants. I love those pants too much. I will wear those for a while yet, regardless of the big wide band at the top. ;)
Well... just wanted to say "HI!" to you all! I have a few more posts to put up! Hugs to you all and thanks for the emails and comments... one of these days I'll 'get back to you'! I promise!!! :)
Erin
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Shave and a haircut... oh, wait...
... haircut and a SHAVE.
Before with Julia...and AFTER... Saturday afternoon. :)
No joking... Adam shaved his head yesterday (well, I helped... I buzzed it with the clippers and he shaved it with a razor).
Before with Julia...and AFTER... Saturday afternoon. :)
No joking... Adam shaved his head yesterday (well, I helped... I buzzed it with the clippers and he shaved it with a razor).
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Home again! :)
Hello, all!
We are finally home! Well... we have been home since 6 PM last night, but... well, for those of you that have kids, just remember your first few days at home with your very first child, and you'll completely understand that our world has gone topsy-turvy and all of the time in the hospital in Des Moines could not prepare us for being home with a newborn! :)
However... we've made it through the day, and after Julia eats next, both mommy and Julia are going to bed... here's hoping we can make it to church tomorrow! Yet another new experience... figuring out how to get all three of us cleaned up, dressed, and fed, and THEN make it to church on time. Should be fun!
Here are a few pictures from last night...
Woohoo! I'm finally going home!
Proud and happy parents! (This was in front of our hospital room at Blank)
Mommy & Julia in Julia's bedroom for the first time. (Although, for now, she sleeps in a bassinet in our room.)
Daddy & Julia by the Christmas tree (Julia was completely entranced by the lights... it was so neat to see!)
We hope you all are doing well! "Stay tuned" for more pictures and updates. :) We are all happy to be home finally, and with time, we'll fall into a new routine. Thankfully Adam will be home through the 11th, and we have more family coming to visit this next week as well.
HUGS!
Erin
We are finally home! Well... we have been home since 6 PM last night, but... well, for those of you that have kids, just remember your first few days at home with your very first child, and you'll completely understand that our world has gone topsy-turvy and all of the time in the hospital in Des Moines could not prepare us for being home with a newborn! :)
However... we've made it through the day, and after Julia eats next, both mommy and Julia are going to bed... here's hoping we can make it to church tomorrow! Yet another new experience... figuring out how to get all three of us cleaned up, dressed, and fed, and THEN make it to church on time. Should be fun!
Here are a few pictures from last night...
Woohoo! I'm finally going home!
Proud and happy parents! (This was in front of our hospital room at Blank)
Mommy & Julia in Julia's bedroom for the first time. (Although, for now, she sleeps in a bassinet in our room.)
Daddy & Julia by the Christmas tree (Julia was completely entranced by the lights... it was so neat to see!)
We hope you all are doing well! "Stay tuned" for more pictures and updates. :) We are all happy to be home finally, and with time, we'll fall into a new routine. Thankfully Adam will be home through the 11th, and we have more family coming to visit this next week as well.
HUGS!
Erin
Friday, November 30, 2007
Julia's First Bath
Adam gave Julia her first bath today... it was wonderful fun!
Here are a few pictures:
Just undressed...
I'm hungry....!!! I think I'll eat my blanket...!
Ooh... soothing hair wash... I am DEFINITELY my mama's girl... I LOVE this kind of treatment!
Isn't my hair CURLY???
And... just a cute 'burp' picture. :)
Hugs to you all!
Adam, Erin, & Julia!
Here are a few pictures:
Just undressed...
I'm hungry....!!! I think I'll eat my blanket...!
Ooh... soothing hair wash... I am DEFINITELY my mama's girl... I LOVE this kind of treatment!
Isn't my hair CURLY???
And... just a cute 'burp' picture. :)
Hugs to you all!
Adam, Erin, & Julia!
Homeward Bound!
Hello!
We received news this morning from the doctor that we were going to be able to go home TODAY! What wonderful news!
Julia's doctor decided that with the possibility of bad weather tomorrow combined with the fact that she is doing so well that we should go home later today. He said that for patient safety, they might have felt obligated to keep us until Sunday if the weather were to be bad tomorrow, so he cancelled the midnight antibiotic (he said that basically her 4 PM treatment would be good for 12 to 18 hours as it is, so not having the last one would not be an issue) and has written orders for us to be discharged today. WOOHOO!
We are ALL looking forward to being home, especially mom and dad! Of course, I'm sure mom and dad will learn quickly how to be parents WITHOUT nurses to help out!
One of these days I will have to post all of the hidden blessings that I have experienced while being here in NICU... and believe me, the nurses are a BIG part of that!
Have a glorious day / weekend! "See you" back in Pella!
Erin
We received news this morning from the doctor that we were going to be able to go home TODAY! What wonderful news!
Julia's doctor decided that with the possibility of bad weather tomorrow combined with the fact that she is doing so well that we should go home later today. He said that for patient safety, they might have felt obligated to keep us until Sunday if the weather were to be bad tomorrow, so he cancelled the midnight antibiotic (he said that basically her 4 PM treatment would be good for 12 to 18 hours as it is, so not having the last one would not be an issue) and has written orders for us to be discharged today. WOOHOO!
We are ALL looking forward to being home, especially mom and dad! Of course, I'm sure mom and dad will learn quickly how to be parents WITHOUT nurses to help out!
One of these days I will have to post all of the hidden blessings that I have experienced while being here in NICU... and believe me, the nurses are a BIG part of that!
Have a glorious day / weekend! "See you" back in Pella!
Erin
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Julia says, I am 5 days old today!
Good afternoon, everyone!
I thought I'd post a few pictures of Julia during our 'morning chat'.
Of course, during the course of my pregnancy, Julia got used to mom's chattering... enough such that it would put her to sleep. Apparently that (along with some breast milk) worked well this morning too. :)
Erin
I thought I'd post a few pictures of Julia during our 'morning chat'.
Of course, during the course of my pregnancy, Julia got used to mom's chattering... enough such that it would put her to sleep. Apparently that (along with some breast milk) worked well this morning too. :)
Erin
Grandma Sue comes for a visit!
Yesterday my mom (Grandma Sue) was in Des Moines to visit Julia. She drove down with her friend Mary, and they did a few things for us in Pella and came to visit Julia at Blank yesterday. They came bearing gifts (cutes stuff!) and a desire to see and hold dear Julia.
Here's a picture of a proud grandma with her newest granddaughter:
Thank you, mom, for visiting!
(Thank you, grandma! Love you!!!)
Hugs & Kisses,
Erin & Julia
Here's a picture of a proud grandma with her newest granddaughter:
Thank you, mom, for visiting!
(Thank you, grandma! Love you!!!)
Hugs & Kisses,
Erin & Julia
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Baby Bear Beer Label
Some people pass out cigars... and then there is Adam. :)
Adam brewed a winter spice beer earlier this fall for the arrival of our daughter, Julia. He also designed labels for the beer, printed them out, and pasted the labels on bottles, which are available to anyone who has a hankerin' for a cold brew.
Here is the label he designed... I would have to say it is QUITE cute! :)
Slogan: "Papa's beer tasted too bitter, Mama's beer tasted to roasty, but baby's beer..."
Adam brewed a winter spice beer earlier this fall for the arrival of our daughter, Julia. He also designed labels for the beer, printed them out, and pasted the labels on bottles, which are available to anyone who has a hankerin' for a cold brew.
Here is the label he designed... I would have to say it is QUITE cute! :)
Slogan: "Papa's beer tasted too bitter, Mama's beer tasted to roasty, but baby's beer..."
The Rest of the Story…
Ha, ha, so this is not for the faint of heart. Well, don’t worry, it won’t be that bad, but you might end up thinking I’m crazy in the end. (So what’s new…?)
So you all have heard that Julia was born via C-section last Saturday morning, but not many people have heard how we got to that point. So here you go…
Let me start out by saying, the previous weekend (Nov 16 – 18), Adam had three ‘gigs’… so, I joked that we would have the baby that weekend. But, no baby. So, Sunday (the 18th), I said to Adam, I am totally planning out next weekend in hope that Murphy’s Law takes over.
Tuesday (the 20th) I saw my doctor, and he basically told me that there wasn’t much of a chance of me having the baby Thanksgiving weekend. He said he even expected that I’d be at my next appointment (which would have been the 29th… which would be tomorrow!), and we’d start talking induction for the first week of December.
So… I planned a Thanksgiving meal for Adam and me for Thursday… the whole works. (Yes, Jason, the cooking WAS as much fun as the eating! I loved making pie, rolls, and other goodies from scratch! It was much fun!) I planned to decorate the Christmas tree and put up the Christmas decorations on Friday… and I planned to clean the house on Saturday. Who knew what I would wind up doing Sunday.
Wednesday, the day after my appointment, I had contractions on and off throughout the day. It was kind of wild, as I hadn’t felt any prior to Wednesday. Wednesday night I timed them between 6 and 20 minutes apart, and when I went to bed, I had no problem falling asleep.
During the day on Thursday, as I cooked and prepped for Thanksgiving dinner, I felt a few contractions, but nothing serious. We watched the Packers beat the Lions (WOOHOO!), and at 6:30 PM, we sat down to a scrumptious turkey dinner, with potatoes, dressing, corn, rolls, and pie. We watched movies that night and were in bed by 10PM.
Friday morning, I got up, showered, and dug into the Christmas decorations. It took me almost 4 hours to put together the tree… I was excited to do it, but also tired very easily. After all, it was my due date and I was carrying around a full-term baby! Bending over, reaching up, and fluffing Christmas tree branches aren’t exactly ‘restful’. I also hung the wreathes in the windows and outside, but did not hang up the lights outside, knowing that would require climbing on a chair, and that my neighbor would probably have a heart attack if he saw me climbing outside to hang lights.
Friday morning rolled into Friday afternoon… and then I was starting to wonder if my water was leaking. (Don’t ask my how or why… just know that I had a legitimate reason to wonder.) I finished with the Christmas decorations (only put up about ¼ of what I normally do)… put away the boxes… hung out with Adam for a while. Around 4 PM, I decided I should make pizza dough so we could have homemade pizza for lunch on Saturday. So, I told Adam I was going to the store, and he said he’d come with. We finished up some Christmas shopping (where we ran into a friend of mine and we talked about me still being pregnant…!) and then went to Hyvee to pick up a few things.
On the way home, I mentioned to Adam that I thought my water was leaking. He said that I should call the hospital and see what they thought. But, we figured we better eat some dinner first. (Ha, my last meal before having Julia was two hot dogs. How silly is that?) Then I called the hospital, and they said I should come in to be checked. I got my sweater on (seeing as how I didn’t have a coat that fit) and was ready to go and Adam said, don’t you think we should grab your bag just in case? I’m like sure, but they will just send us home anyway. But, we finished packing the bag and off we went.
The first test said that nope, my water hadn’t broken. I was prepared to be sent home. But, the gal who was monitoring me said, hmm, didn’t you feel that? I said, what? She said, you are having a contraction. And sure enough, I was, and they were 5 – 6 minutes apart.
And… wouldn’t you know, my doctor was right across the hall delivering a baby! So, the nurse said she’d get my doctor and see what he thought should happen. He came in to talk to us, and decided we should do a full work up to determine if my water was actually leaking or not. Adam and I were still pretty sure we were going home that night and talked about what type of movie we’d watch.
And then the test results came back… and my doctor came back… and what he said had both Adam and I in a state of minor shock… he said we were having a baby that night! WOW! Adam said, wow, to think we will be parents in less than 24 hours! And the doctor says, nope, more like 12 because of when Erin’s water broke! Aiy!
So… we were admitted to the hospital, and I was started on an antibiotic that I needed. Around 8:20, the doctor completely broke my water, and the contractions kind of took over from there. I did have pitocin administered for about 20 minutes, however, the nurse ended up shutting it off because my contractions were regular and I was progressing on my own.
Throughout the night, Adam proved to be an awesome coach. Long ago, we had determined that we would try for a natural childbirth; i.e., no pain medications, etc. Adam was my strength through the contractions, even when I wouldn’t let him touch me (LOL!). And… I kept remembering what our goal was and what we had decided we wanted together, and I pushed through without drugs. My nurse, Valerie, was also amazing in that she never once tried to push anything on me. She also proved to be invaluable throughout the experience.
Around 3:30 AM, I decided I just couldn’t do it anymore, and Valerie talked about where we could go from there… but after she got me to describe WHY I thought I couldn’t do it anymore (aiy, the pressure!), she decided to check me and I was a good 7 – 8 cm dilated. She said I should hang in there and try different positions. Sure enough, 20 minutes later she said I was almost there, and at 4 AM she called my doctor to come to the hospital. He arrived at 4:15 AM, and he determined by 4:30 AM that I was ready to push.
And push we did! For 45 minutes we (because I had ‘help’ from Adam, the nurses, and the doctor) pushed and pushed. At 5:15 AM, the doctor said that he thought she was stuck and that her head was turned wrong, and he really felt that a C-section was the best option. We discussed it for a few minutes, pushed a bit more, and then agreed that was the next best thing.
Ha. THEN I had to NOT push for an hour. Okay… NOT cool. My thoughts during this time basically translated to, “KILL ME NOW!!!” Pushing is easy. NOT pushing is NOT easy. Again… kudos to Adam for hanging in there with me. And kudos to my nurse for NOT forcing me into the wheelchair… LOL, I still remember her bringing a wheelchair in for me to get into so they could take me to the OR, and I just started crying like a child and said, “Please don’t make me get in that chair!” So… they wheeled me off to the OR in my bed, transferred me over to the operating table, and an angel administered a spinal for me… and I was in heaven.
(Seriously, again. Laboring eleven hours without drugs and pushing without them was NOT THAT BAD. I actually would do it again! However, the one hour of NOT pushing was NOT fun, and I am VERY thankful that they can ‘knock out’ your body with a spinal. That stopped me feeling the contractions… and EVERYTHING ELSE immediately! It was REALLY cool!)
At 6:34 AM, little Julia Morgan came into the world. I can remember the surgeon saying that we had a beautiful baby and Adam asking what ‘it’ was… “It’s a girl!” I can remember apologizing to him for not giving him a boy, which caused the anesthesiologist to laugh pretty good. I was so excited to finally have this little wonder, this little being, in my life! She is truly a miracle! Who ever could have thought two people could produce something so wonderful!? Adam went with Julia to the nursery while I chatted up NFL (really, we just talked a lot about Brett Favre and the Packers) sports with the OR team as they stitched and cleaned me up. Adam came in and spent time with me in recovery while I warmed up under some warm sheets and blankets and marveled at the fact that I could NOT feel my toes or legs!
And… you can probably guess that the pizza dough was never made and the house was never cleaned this last weekend. :)
Erin
Ps. Wouldn’t you know, Adam and I actually remembered to take a 40-week picture of me the morning of November 23rd, my due date. It’s one of the last pictures of me pregnant! Wow!
So you all have heard that Julia was born via C-section last Saturday morning, but not many people have heard how we got to that point. So here you go…
Let me start out by saying, the previous weekend (Nov 16 – 18), Adam had three ‘gigs’… so, I joked that we would have the baby that weekend. But, no baby. So, Sunday (the 18th), I said to Adam, I am totally planning out next weekend in hope that Murphy’s Law takes over.
Tuesday (the 20th) I saw my doctor, and he basically told me that there wasn’t much of a chance of me having the baby Thanksgiving weekend. He said he even expected that I’d be at my next appointment (which would have been the 29th… which would be tomorrow!), and we’d start talking induction for the first week of December.
So… I planned a Thanksgiving meal for Adam and me for Thursday… the whole works. (Yes, Jason, the cooking WAS as much fun as the eating! I loved making pie, rolls, and other goodies from scratch! It was much fun!) I planned to decorate the Christmas tree and put up the Christmas decorations on Friday… and I planned to clean the house on Saturday. Who knew what I would wind up doing Sunday.
Wednesday, the day after my appointment, I had contractions on and off throughout the day. It was kind of wild, as I hadn’t felt any prior to Wednesday. Wednesday night I timed them between 6 and 20 minutes apart, and when I went to bed, I had no problem falling asleep.
During the day on Thursday, as I cooked and prepped for Thanksgiving dinner, I felt a few contractions, but nothing serious. We watched the Packers beat the Lions (WOOHOO!), and at 6:30 PM, we sat down to a scrumptious turkey dinner, with potatoes, dressing, corn, rolls, and pie. We watched movies that night and were in bed by 10PM.
Friday morning, I got up, showered, and dug into the Christmas decorations. It took me almost 4 hours to put together the tree… I was excited to do it, but also tired very easily. After all, it was my due date and I was carrying around a full-term baby! Bending over, reaching up, and fluffing Christmas tree branches aren’t exactly ‘restful’. I also hung the wreathes in the windows and outside, but did not hang up the lights outside, knowing that would require climbing on a chair, and that my neighbor would probably have a heart attack if he saw me climbing outside to hang lights.
Friday morning rolled into Friday afternoon… and then I was starting to wonder if my water was leaking. (Don’t ask my how or why… just know that I had a legitimate reason to wonder.) I finished with the Christmas decorations (only put up about ¼ of what I normally do)… put away the boxes… hung out with Adam for a while. Around 4 PM, I decided I should make pizza dough so we could have homemade pizza for lunch on Saturday. So, I told Adam I was going to the store, and he said he’d come with. We finished up some Christmas shopping (where we ran into a friend of mine and we talked about me still being pregnant…!) and then went to Hyvee to pick up a few things.
On the way home, I mentioned to Adam that I thought my water was leaking. He said that I should call the hospital and see what they thought. But, we figured we better eat some dinner first. (Ha, my last meal before having Julia was two hot dogs. How silly is that?) Then I called the hospital, and they said I should come in to be checked. I got my sweater on (seeing as how I didn’t have a coat that fit) and was ready to go and Adam said, don’t you think we should grab your bag just in case? I’m like sure, but they will just send us home anyway. But, we finished packing the bag and off we went.
The first test said that nope, my water hadn’t broken. I was prepared to be sent home. But, the gal who was monitoring me said, hmm, didn’t you feel that? I said, what? She said, you are having a contraction. And sure enough, I was, and they were 5 – 6 minutes apart.
And… wouldn’t you know, my doctor was right across the hall delivering a baby! So, the nurse said she’d get my doctor and see what he thought should happen. He came in to talk to us, and decided we should do a full work up to determine if my water was actually leaking or not. Adam and I were still pretty sure we were going home that night and talked about what type of movie we’d watch.
And then the test results came back… and my doctor came back… and what he said had both Adam and I in a state of minor shock… he said we were having a baby that night! WOW! Adam said, wow, to think we will be parents in less than 24 hours! And the doctor says, nope, more like 12 because of when Erin’s water broke! Aiy!
So… we were admitted to the hospital, and I was started on an antibiotic that I needed. Around 8:20, the doctor completely broke my water, and the contractions kind of took over from there. I did have pitocin administered for about 20 minutes, however, the nurse ended up shutting it off because my contractions were regular and I was progressing on my own.
Throughout the night, Adam proved to be an awesome coach. Long ago, we had determined that we would try for a natural childbirth; i.e., no pain medications, etc. Adam was my strength through the contractions, even when I wouldn’t let him touch me (LOL!). And… I kept remembering what our goal was and what we had decided we wanted together, and I pushed through without drugs. My nurse, Valerie, was also amazing in that she never once tried to push anything on me. She also proved to be invaluable throughout the experience.
Around 3:30 AM, I decided I just couldn’t do it anymore, and Valerie talked about where we could go from there… but after she got me to describe WHY I thought I couldn’t do it anymore (aiy, the pressure!), she decided to check me and I was a good 7 – 8 cm dilated. She said I should hang in there and try different positions. Sure enough, 20 minutes later she said I was almost there, and at 4 AM she called my doctor to come to the hospital. He arrived at 4:15 AM, and he determined by 4:30 AM that I was ready to push.
And push we did! For 45 minutes we (because I had ‘help’ from Adam, the nurses, and the doctor) pushed and pushed. At 5:15 AM, the doctor said that he thought she was stuck and that her head was turned wrong, and he really felt that a C-section was the best option. We discussed it for a few minutes, pushed a bit more, and then agreed that was the next best thing.
Ha. THEN I had to NOT push for an hour. Okay… NOT cool. My thoughts during this time basically translated to, “KILL ME NOW!!!” Pushing is easy. NOT pushing is NOT easy. Again… kudos to Adam for hanging in there with me. And kudos to my nurse for NOT forcing me into the wheelchair… LOL, I still remember her bringing a wheelchair in for me to get into so they could take me to the OR, and I just started crying like a child and said, “Please don’t make me get in that chair!” So… they wheeled me off to the OR in my bed, transferred me over to the operating table, and an angel administered a spinal for me… and I was in heaven.
(Seriously, again. Laboring eleven hours without drugs and pushing without them was NOT THAT BAD. I actually would do it again! However, the one hour of NOT pushing was NOT fun, and I am VERY thankful that they can ‘knock out’ your body with a spinal. That stopped me feeling the contractions… and EVERYTHING ELSE immediately! It was REALLY cool!)
At 6:34 AM, little Julia Morgan came into the world. I can remember the surgeon saying that we had a beautiful baby and Adam asking what ‘it’ was… “It’s a girl!” I can remember apologizing to him for not giving him a boy, which caused the anesthesiologist to laugh pretty good. I was so excited to finally have this little wonder, this little being, in my life! She is truly a miracle! Who ever could have thought two people could produce something so wonderful!? Adam went with Julia to the nursery while I chatted up NFL (really, we just talked a lot about Brett Favre and the Packers) sports with the OR team as they stitched and cleaned me up. Adam came in and spent time with me in recovery while I warmed up under some warm sheets and blankets and marveled at the fact that I could NOT feel my toes or legs!
And… you can probably guess that the pizza dough was never made and the house was never cleaned this last weekend. :)
Erin
Ps. Wouldn’t you know, Adam and I actually remembered to take a 40-week picture of me the morning of November 23rd, my due date. It’s one of the last pictures of me pregnant! Wow!
Pictures!
I know many of you have been waiting to see more pictures... so here are a few from the last day! I find myself staring at her, talking to her, and otherwise, and then oops, I remember that these are also prime picture taking opportunities.
Hugs to you all!
Enjoy!
Erin
Daddy & Julia playing peekaboo:
Daddy & Julia's pinkies:
Julia and Mommy Chatting:
Julia and Mommy Chatting #2:
Hugs to you all!
Enjoy!
Erin
Daddy & Julia playing peekaboo:
Daddy & Julia's pinkies:
Julia and Mommy Chatting:
Julia and Mommy Chatting #2:
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Daddy + Mommy + Julia = A Happy Family... FINALLY!
Dear Family and Friends,
It is 10AM on Tuesday, November 27, 2007. I just returned from the third best shower of my life (the best being the first one I had AFTER Julia was born… and the second being the one I had yesterday...). I have about an hour to eat breakfast, take my vitamins, and catch up on ‘life’ before Julia and I go through temperature taking, diaper changing, and feeding… and let me tell you, I am loving it!
Thank you to my darling husband for updating you all on what has been going on the last few days. As you might know, our dear little Julia Morgan entered the world via C-section on Saturday, November 24, 2007, at 6:34 AM. She (with daddy in tow) was whisked away to the nursery, where she spent the day on oxygen. Later Saturday night, she was taken by ambulance to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, where she has been since, and will be until at least Saturday. I thank God constantly that she is recovering from her pneumonia quickly, is taken off monitors and things daily, and is eating (and pooping) and sleeping well. She is truly our little angel!
I spent Saturday through Monday recuperating from my natural childbirth turned C-section at the Pella Regional Hospital, where I alternated between happy times and very sad times, missing my little girl and my darling husband. You might not have known, but I never had a chance to hold her before she was taken to Blank… I saw her for about 30 seconds when she was delivered (and gave her precious kisses as Adam held her near my head) and then for an hour as I sat in a wheelchair by her little warmer bed in the Pella nursery. So… you can guess, I was chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital and to be here with her.
Yesterday I was released from the hospital around 12:45 PM, and my dear friend Alecia took work off to pick me up and take me home to repack and grab other essentials so that I could come to Des Moines, as Adam had been staying in Des Moines with Julia since she was moved here. Around 3:15 PM yesterday, we rolled into the parking lot and tears of joy flowed from Adam, Alecia, and I as I saw and held my little girl for the first time since she was born… what SWEET SWEET joy it was!
Even though I am learning now what Adam went through the first 24 hours with her – being on a ‘schedule’ and wanting to be part of EVERYTHING that is happening with her… which means little sleep – I know I am where I am SUPPOSED to be… where I NEED to be. We were meant to be together. She is a part of us, of me and Adam, and I have never been so satisfied or content in my entire life as I am right now. The beeps, monitors, shunts, C-section scar, bruises, needle holes, and dull hospital room all fade away every time I look at her, touch her, feed her, smell her, or otherwise take her in any part of her.
I have to say a BIG thank you to God for making this possible for me and Adam… for bringing such a joy and sweetness into our lives.
I also want to say THANK YOU to my WONDERFUL husband… he was an EXCELLENT coach during labor (THAT is a whole OTHER story), an EXCELLENT support through the C-section, and he has proven to be the world’s BEST daddy to his little girl. I could not have done this without him; he is my strength.
Thank you also to friends and family… those of you who have called, emailed (sorry, I haven’t read them all yet and it’ll be a while…!), visited… and otherwise. I know that many of you are ready to visit Julia here in Des Moines with us, and I THANK YOU for your patience…! I really needed to be here with her and experience her and take her completely in without other people being around, and I truly thank you for understanding that. Now that we have had some time to acclimate ourselves to each other, we will gladly accept visitors. We would appreciate you calling us first so we know you are coming… our lives are ‘ruled’ right now on a three-hour clock that involves trying to breastfeed, pumping breast milk, eating from a bottle, changing a diaper, taking a temperature, and anything else that can be done for our little one… oh, and maybe catching a few ZZZ’s here and there… as Adam said to me, the time sure flies by quickly and you don’t even realize it. So thank you… and we are looking forward to seeing you all!
Also... a thank you to the doctors, nurses, and staff at both Pella Regional and Blank Children's Hospitals... they are all truly angels in my eyes... they have all been such a blessing. Especially, I want to thank Dr. Carlstone for being such a wonderful doctor throughout my pregnancy and delivery and afterwards... I am so thankful he is Julia's doctor. I could list names and go on and on and on... wow! And... even though I saw our lives are 'ruled' by the three-hour routine here, they really are not... the nurses here are more than willing to give families a reprieve so that we can sleep, eat, and otherwise... which is also a blessing! (Nurse Rhonda was SO nice to let me sleep through the 5 AM feeding... I woke up, smiled at her, and went right back to sleep... LOL... apparently my body isn't recovering from this C-section as fast as I want it too).
I will keep you updated via the blog this week… it is the best that I can offer at this point. I will try to read and answer emails as I can, and I will take phone calls and talk as I can… please know that I am not trying to shut you out of our lives! Just know that I’ve never been a mom before and WOW, what a new experience this is!!! (One that I wouldn’t trade for ANYTHING!)
Daddy, Mommy, and Julia, together at last:
Hugs and love to you all! I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Erin
Ps. Julia’s ‘stats’…
Born on: November 24, 2007
Time: 6:34 AM
Weight: 7 lbs, 3.7 oz (or 3.5, depending on what piece of paper you look at)
Height: 20 inches
It is 10AM on Tuesday, November 27, 2007. I just returned from the third best shower of my life (the best being the first one I had AFTER Julia was born… and the second being the one I had yesterday...). I have about an hour to eat breakfast, take my vitamins, and catch up on ‘life’ before Julia and I go through temperature taking, diaper changing, and feeding… and let me tell you, I am loving it!
Thank you to my darling husband for updating you all on what has been going on the last few days. As you might know, our dear little Julia Morgan entered the world via C-section on Saturday, November 24, 2007, at 6:34 AM. She (with daddy in tow) was whisked away to the nursery, where she spent the day on oxygen. Later Saturday night, she was taken by ambulance to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, where she has been since, and will be until at least Saturday. I thank God constantly that she is recovering from her pneumonia quickly, is taken off monitors and things daily, and is eating (and pooping) and sleeping well. She is truly our little angel!
I spent Saturday through Monday recuperating from my natural childbirth turned C-section at the Pella Regional Hospital, where I alternated between happy times and very sad times, missing my little girl and my darling husband. You might not have known, but I never had a chance to hold her before she was taken to Blank… I saw her for about 30 seconds when she was delivered (and gave her precious kisses as Adam held her near my head) and then for an hour as I sat in a wheelchair by her little warmer bed in the Pella nursery. So… you can guess, I was chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital and to be here with her.
Yesterday I was released from the hospital around 12:45 PM, and my dear friend Alecia took work off to pick me up and take me home to repack and grab other essentials so that I could come to Des Moines, as Adam had been staying in Des Moines with Julia since she was moved here. Around 3:15 PM yesterday, we rolled into the parking lot and tears of joy flowed from Adam, Alecia, and I as I saw and held my little girl for the first time since she was born… what SWEET SWEET joy it was!
Even though I am learning now what Adam went through the first 24 hours with her – being on a ‘schedule’ and wanting to be part of EVERYTHING that is happening with her… which means little sleep – I know I am where I am SUPPOSED to be… where I NEED to be. We were meant to be together. She is a part of us, of me and Adam, and I have never been so satisfied or content in my entire life as I am right now. The beeps, monitors, shunts, C-section scar, bruises, needle holes, and dull hospital room all fade away every time I look at her, touch her, feed her, smell her, or otherwise take her in any part of her.
I have to say a BIG thank you to God for making this possible for me and Adam… for bringing such a joy and sweetness into our lives.
I also want to say THANK YOU to my WONDERFUL husband… he was an EXCELLENT coach during labor (THAT is a whole OTHER story), an EXCELLENT support through the C-section, and he has proven to be the world’s BEST daddy to his little girl. I could not have done this without him; he is my strength.
Thank you also to friends and family… those of you who have called, emailed (sorry, I haven’t read them all yet and it’ll be a while…!), visited… and otherwise. I know that many of you are ready to visit Julia here in Des Moines with us, and I THANK YOU for your patience…! I really needed to be here with her and experience her and take her completely in without other people being around, and I truly thank you for understanding that. Now that we have had some time to acclimate ourselves to each other, we will gladly accept visitors. We would appreciate you calling us first so we know you are coming… our lives are ‘ruled’ right now on a three-hour clock that involves trying to breastfeed, pumping breast milk, eating from a bottle, changing a diaper, taking a temperature, and anything else that can be done for our little one… oh, and maybe catching a few ZZZ’s here and there… as Adam said to me, the time sure flies by quickly and you don’t even realize it. So thank you… and we are looking forward to seeing you all!
Also... a thank you to the doctors, nurses, and staff at both Pella Regional and Blank Children's Hospitals... they are all truly angels in my eyes... they have all been such a blessing. Especially, I want to thank Dr. Carlstone for being such a wonderful doctor throughout my pregnancy and delivery and afterwards... I am so thankful he is Julia's doctor. I could list names and go on and on and on... wow! And... even though I saw our lives are 'ruled' by the three-hour routine here, they really are not... the nurses here are more than willing to give families a reprieve so that we can sleep, eat, and otherwise... which is also a blessing! (Nurse Rhonda was SO nice to let me sleep through the 5 AM feeding... I woke up, smiled at her, and went right back to sleep... LOL... apparently my body isn't recovering from this C-section as fast as I want it too).
I will keep you updated via the blog this week… it is the best that I can offer at this point. I will try to read and answer emails as I can, and I will take phone calls and talk as I can… please know that I am not trying to shut you out of our lives! Just know that I’ve never been a mom before and WOW, what a new experience this is!!! (One that I wouldn’t trade for ANYTHING!)
Daddy, Mommy, and Julia, together at last:
Hugs and love to you all! I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Erin
Ps. Julia’s ‘stats’…
Born on: November 24, 2007
Time: 6:34 AM
Weight: 7 lbs, 3.7 oz (or 3.5, depending on what piece of paper you look at)
Height: 20 inches
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
Good day to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!
It is Thanksgiving in Pella, and we have had our first snow of the season! If you know me well, you know I am overjoyed by the snow! The only thing that would cause me MORE joy today would be a healthy baby in my arms! :)
The pie (pumpkin) is in the oven, and soon we'll start watching the Packers vs. Lions football game (GO, PACKERS!). Early this afternoon I'll prep our 11 lbs turkey (yes, just for the two of us) and put it in the oven, and try my hand at home-made crescent rolls. I think it'll be a lot of fun! And who knows, maybe the baby will have other plans and choose to 'ruin' all of that for us and plop us square in the hospital... ha, worse things could happen!
I hope you've figured out by now that we have not had the baby yet and I am not in labor! :)
As you're sitting down at the table today, prepared to dig into your Thanksgiving meal, remember that there is so much to be thankful for... family and friends, a warm home and tasty food...! Take care and know that I'll be sending up thanks for you!
Hugs!
Erin
It is Thanksgiving in Pella, and we have had our first snow of the season! If you know me well, you know I am overjoyed by the snow! The only thing that would cause me MORE joy today would be a healthy baby in my arms! :)
The pie (pumpkin) is in the oven, and soon we'll start watching the Packers vs. Lions football game (GO, PACKERS!). Early this afternoon I'll prep our 11 lbs turkey (yes, just for the two of us) and put it in the oven, and try my hand at home-made crescent rolls. I think it'll be a lot of fun! And who knows, maybe the baby will have other plans and choose to 'ruin' all of that for us and plop us square in the hospital... ha, worse things could happen!
I hope you've figured out by now that we have not had the baby yet and I am not in labor! :)
As you're sitting down at the table today, prepared to dig into your Thanksgiving meal, remember that there is so much to be thankful for... family and friends, a warm home and tasty food...! Take care and know that I'll be sending up thanks for you!
Hugs!
Erin
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Snow!
Okay... so it isn't snowing MUCH if hardly at all... but there was the tiniest bit of snow on the deck when I went upstairs to make myself a hot chocolate... so I HAD to take a picture!
I love snow and winter! (You might think I'm nuts... oh, well!)
Oh... and NO baby yet. :)
Erin
I love snow and winter! (You might think I'm nuts... oh, well!)
Oh... and NO baby yet. :)
Erin
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Update... NO BABY YET!
Hi, all!
It's been a few days since I've updated (as I was reminded in a post this morning... thank you! You know who you are... LOL). Nope... I'm not tired of posting... in fact...
.... I meant to post earlier today, but the day has seriously gotten away from me! Whew! It's afternoon already! Holy cats!
So... all that being said...
I had my latest OB appointment this morning... doc wanted to squeeze one in before the 'weekend' (his weekend starts tomorrow).
Again... no changes... no news, really. Baby is seemingly perfectly content on the inside and is making no moves to work its way out yet. And... my uterus is doing nothing to help baby along either. ;)
So... here's my info for the day.
I'm 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I am 'due' this Friday, but could go as long as the week of December 3rd. Yes, we could go that long. (So please don't pester me too much... I'll do everything I can to keep you updated here!)
I gained 2 lbs since last Thursday, but that is attributed to the fact that I was a bit swelled in the ankles this morning, and according to my nurse and my doctor, the baby had quite the growth spurt over the weekend. (They both, separately, took a look at me today and said, WOW, that baby sure has grown over the weekend! And, ha, I can feel it... less and less room in there. So much less that eating, even in small amounts, is no longer a pleasurable activity. Although the enchiladas I made this weekend were pretty scrumptious...!)
The baby's heartbeat was right around 145 bpm today.
No blood pressure or fundal height measurements for you today... we had a second nurse in there today who will be filling in while my regular nurse is on vacation next week, and she didn't let me peek at my chart like my normal nurse does. ;)
So... my next appointment is next Thursday, the 29th.
But no worries, I'll be back on here before then... either with baby news, or with updates regarding what I'm doing with my time! :)
So... to spur Murphy and his Law on, I have planned out our whole weekend. Thursday we'll do Thanksgiving... me, Adam, and a turkey -- a REAL turkey. Don't forget that we'll also have potatoes and pie. As Adam said, we'll be eating off of this meal until we're pregnant with the NEXT baby. I'm going ALL out. Friday I have planned to pull out the Christmas decorations and decorate and put up the tree and whatnot. (No Black Friday shopping for me this week... I pretty much have my Christmas shopping done and I cannot imagine being around so many people... I would probably go insane.) And, Saturday, I'm hoping the cleaning bug hits me good again. :)
I hope you all are having a WONDERFUL week! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!
Erin
ps. GO, PACKERS! We are also excited about watching our Packers play the Lions on Thanksgiving Day! Should be fun!!!
It's been a few days since I've updated (as I was reminded in a post this morning... thank you! You know who you are... LOL). Nope... I'm not tired of posting... in fact...
.... I meant to post earlier today, but the day has seriously gotten away from me! Whew! It's afternoon already! Holy cats!
So... all that being said...
I had my latest OB appointment this morning... doc wanted to squeeze one in before the 'weekend' (his weekend starts tomorrow).
Again... no changes... no news, really. Baby is seemingly perfectly content on the inside and is making no moves to work its way out yet. And... my uterus is doing nothing to help baby along either. ;)
So... here's my info for the day.
I'm 39 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I am 'due' this Friday, but could go as long as the week of December 3rd. Yes, we could go that long. (So please don't pester me too much... I'll do everything I can to keep you updated here!)
I gained 2 lbs since last Thursday, but that is attributed to the fact that I was a bit swelled in the ankles this morning, and according to my nurse and my doctor, the baby had quite the growth spurt over the weekend. (They both, separately, took a look at me today and said, WOW, that baby sure has grown over the weekend! And, ha, I can feel it... less and less room in there. So much less that eating, even in small amounts, is no longer a pleasurable activity. Although the enchiladas I made this weekend were pretty scrumptious...!)
The baby's heartbeat was right around 145 bpm today.
No blood pressure or fundal height measurements for you today... we had a second nurse in there today who will be filling in while my regular nurse is on vacation next week, and she didn't let me peek at my chart like my normal nurse does. ;)
So... my next appointment is next Thursday, the 29th.
But no worries, I'll be back on here before then... either with baby news, or with updates regarding what I'm doing with my time! :)
So... to spur Murphy and his Law on, I have planned out our whole weekend. Thursday we'll do Thanksgiving... me, Adam, and a turkey -- a REAL turkey. Don't forget that we'll also have potatoes and pie. As Adam said, we'll be eating off of this meal until we're pregnant with the NEXT baby. I'm going ALL out. Friday I have planned to pull out the Christmas decorations and decorate and put up the tree and whatnot. (No Black Friday shopping for me this week... I pretty much have my Christmas shopping done and I cannot imagine being around so many people... I would probably go insane.) And, Saturday, I'm hoping the cleaning bug hits me good again. :)
I hope you all are having a WONDERFUL week! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!
Erin
ps. GO, PACKERS! We are also excited about watching our Packers play the Lions on Thanksgiving Day! Should be fun!!!
Friday, November 16, 2007
39 weeks!
Good evening!
Adam snapped my 39 weeks photo today! I thought I would go ahead and post it. :) (LOL... this is about the only shirt I have that actually goes down around my whole belly now, just because it is so long. Well... it's not the only one, but it's my favorite. )
Tonight starts Adam's 3-gig weekend... he plays with Steel Web tonight (new band), Insane Jane tomorrow night, and at church on Sunday morning. Because of that... we are really hoping the baby doesn't make a surprise appearance this weekend... although I'm still thinking December, so I'm not getting my hopes up. ;)
And... to Shelby... CONGRATULATIONS! Way to tell me about baby #2 through a comment...! Too funny! :) I'm so happy for you!
Erin
Adam snapped my 39 weeks photo today! I thought I would go ahead and post it. :) (LOL... this is about the only shirt I have that actually goes down around my whole belly now, just because it is so long. Well... it's not the only one, but it's my favorite. )
Tonight starts Adam's 3-gig weekend... he plays with Steel Web tonight (new band), Insane Jane tomorrow night, and at church on Sunday morning. Because of that... we are really hoping the baby doesn't make a surprise appearance this weekend... although I'm still thinking December, so I'm not getting my hopes up. ;)
And... to Shelby... CONGRATULATIONS! Way to tell me about baby #2 through a comment...! Too funny! :) I'm so happy for you!
Erin
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