I'm a Mommy!!!! Help me welcome Emma Jean!

I just wanted to update those of you who aren't on facebook or haven't already heard...I'm a mommy!!

A week ago yesterday (4 weeks before she was due to arrive) Emma Jean made her début.

At 2:10 am my water broke and when I woke Michael up to tell him his first word out of his mouth was "shit!" ;-) We hadn't packed our bag yet, we hadn't figured out how to put her car seat in...we just had planned on doing the final "get ready" that weekend!

I called the hospital and they said that even though my contractions were irregular and still spaced far apart I needed to come in right then.

We got to the hospital at 4 (it took us a little to get going!) and I was 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced, got to a room by 5 and at 6 a sorority sister came in to give me my epidural! At 6:30 they checked me and I was 3 cm dilated and still 80% effaced. 10 o'clock came and though my doctor wasn't on call her husband was so she still came in to check on me and planned on being there when I delivered if I did during the day. I had only dilated to 4 cm at this time so she started the pitocin and we just waited... the next time my nurse came in to check on me it was 3 (she had another patient start to push at 1) and I was complete! We started pushing at 3:20 and at 3:55 my doctor came in and by 3:59 Emma arrived!!!

I was doing great until the last push and then I tore :-( All in all it was a great delivery!

Emma arrived March 9th weighing 6 lbs 2 ozs and a whopping 19 1/2 inches long. She was 4 weeks early (April 3rd was her projected due date) but she had no complications. They were happy to hear that her lungs were good...and as a matter of fact the pediatrician said "She doesn't know she is a preemie so we just won't tell her.)

We stayed 2 nights just to be on the safe side and then made our way home. Thank goodness I had my last two showers the weekend before and Mom helped me finish setting up her room by noon on Monday

It's been a great first week!! We went to our 5 day check up and she was perfect. She had even regained her birth weight and 1 oz. She is sleeping like an infant which means 2-3 hours at a time and eating like a champ!! Best of all our 4 legged babies are really taking well to the new addition to their pack. :-)

Here are some of the pictures from her first week!

Morning of March 10th

 Proud Daddy

Leaving the hospital

 

 Gabby and Brinkley meeting Emma for the first time

 A practice photo shoot with my friend Nicole Sudduth

 Another pic I took while Nicole had her set up!!



Well it's about time to fee again...have a very blessed day!!

 

Jill

34 weeks and swelling...um I mean growing. :-)

Well gang we have made it to 34 weeks and while Emma is growing I am swelling.  It was first noticeable after my cousin Blake's wedding this past Saturday. The wedding was in Little Rock and Michael and I drove down and back in one day...maybe not the BEST idea but we made it happen. When I got home I was horrified at how big my ankles were...and they swelling hasn't stopped since. During the wedding however I felt fine and didn't even notice the pain.

Me and Michael

Mom!!

 My sweet Nanny and brother Hunter

This week I have started needing to wear compression pantie hose or socks every day to help with the swelling in my ankles and every night I go home and prop my feet up above my heart for a least an hour to try to help things out. I had an appointment with my doctor and she said that I am doing all I can right now since my weight gain is right on track, I am drinking lots of water, walking and exercising every day and staying away from most processed foods. The bottom line is that some people just swell worse than others. :-(

We had our second childbirth class and we talked all about meds and got to see a C-Section...well it was playing but I couldn't watch it. Michael said it looked cool :-) and I will take his word for it! One more week and we will be ready for whatever this delivery throws at us...or at least that is the idea. ;-)

Back to Emma!! She is now the weight of an average Cantaloupe and almost 18 inches long!

They tell me her fat layers are developing and that will help her to regulate her body temperature once she is born and also help her to round out! Experts also say that most baby's do well if born from here on out! :-) That helps you feel a little better but I would still prefer her to keep growing inside for another 2 weeks.

For me...I've already told you that I am swelling in my hands and ankles and I am getting a little more tired. I will rest for a while once I get home and then I feel better for most of the night. I am also watching that I don't jump up too quickly after sitting or lying for a while to keep me from becoming faint. Other than that it's just the same ole same ole! :-)

Can't wait to see this little girl!!

Have a blessed week!!

Snow snow go away....and don't come back! ;-)

Don't get me wrong...I have really enjoyed the time off to rest with Michael and the pups but it's been too cold and to snowy to do anything but rest! Here are some of my favorite picture from the snow.

 Brinkley loves the snow!!!

 And from the looks of it Gabby does too!

 Time to see the front of the house.

22 inches!! And I think it was still falling at the time we took this pic!

Michael's truck didn't get to be inside and it almost got lost in all the snow.

And lets just be clear, I have only seen this much snow in Colorado and that is where it's supposed to stay! ;-)  Again just like the last winter storm, I had all this free time but I did not blog!  So this week will be another 2 week catch up week.

Week 32

Well Emma is growing...and I mean GROWING! We had the 32 week ultrasound and she is measuring at 34 weeks... For those who don't know the ins and outs of the "weeks", this means that if she keeps growing on track like she should she will be 9 LBS at 40 weeks!!  I have gained 15 lbs myself but sometimes it feels like more thanks to the fact that my feet really don't want to fit into anything other than tennis shoes and my belly keeps bumping into things before I do! :-)


I will give you Emma's stats as though she were really 32 weeks...
Emma weight 3.75 lbs about the size of a large jicama (for those like me who didn't know it's a crispy, sweet edible root that resembles a turnip although there is no relation and is popular in Mexican cuisine.)

And is 16.7 inches long. From now on I should gain around a pound a week and half of that goes directly to Emma proving that she will gain a third to 1/2 her weight in the next seven weeks.

I have noticed that for me the biggest problem lately is blood flow...there is so much but apparently it doesn't know where to go. Last Tuesday I had a scare with numbness in my leg, then arm then face and then some yummy tunnel vision.  While these are classic signs of a migraine for me it's always on the left side and this day it was the right. I called and got in to see Dr. Bailey just to make sure everything was okay and we did the 32 week ultrasound then too. Everything looked good and luckily my blood pressure was normal. Turns out I was just having all the migraine starters without the actual pain so that was a relief. And had I waited until Wednesday for my scheduled appt...I might still be waiting since that was the morning the snow came to town.  Sleep is getting more predictable and I normally only have to go to the bathroom at most 2 times a night I do wake up and waller over to my other side several times each night.

I also escaped NWA for the last time solo for the remainder of my pregnancy to go shopping and looking around Little Rock with my mom. I drove to LR and by awesome little brother picked me up in North Little Rock so that when Mom and I came back the next day it would save me an hour in the car alone. We hit the local baby stores like Baby Depot and Babies R Us but we hit the mother load with Pickles and Ice Cream in Little Rock! I finally found my glider and Mom and MeMe ordered it for me right then! I had said over and over again that I didn't want the traditional glider because I didn't like the way it looked and I wouldn't be able to move it to other rooms...but after sitting in many different chairs...the traditional gilder was just the BEST!  Here is picture of what mine will look like ...

We didn't get the ottoman because of room and this isn't the actually fabric but it is a pink and I think I will like it for years to come!! Later on if I have a boy we can always get it recovered but I decided that there is no need to plan for someone that might not be here for 3 years or more. It will take 5 weeks so hopefully it will be here by the time Emma makes her appearance. Also got my present from my little brother this weekend and it's already in Emma's room!

And MeMe is going to see if she can't make this little guy for some newborn pictures!! :-)

All in all it was quite a wonderful week!!


33 Weeks 

Emma should now be weighing in a little over 4 lbs and the weight and shape is reminiscent of a pineapple.

She has passed the 17 inch mark and is rapidly losing her wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening but thankfully her skull isn't fused so that she can make her appearance with a little less pain. :-)

This is the week that they let me know I may start to waddle!! How exciting! ;-P I also get to look forward to seeing more difficulty finding a comfortable position to sit in and the bumping into chairs and counter is now par for the course! They have also validated the numbness I have been feeling in my hands. I am noticing it when I drive and dry my hair...apparently it's due to the increased pressure in the carpal tunnel of my wrists and I should stretch more. I will give it a try.

This week marks the first week that we should be able to go to our child birth class and we are going to have to squeeze 4, 3 hour sessions into 3 nights.  It will be a lot of info but I want as much info as I possibly can have!!  And last but certainly not least we got our proofs in! Jonathan Edward and his beautiful wife Becky did an amazing job!! Check out their work on http://jephotography.net/ and we have already found 6 photos that I can't live without! Here is one that will go in Emma's room... We can't wait to get them in our hands and will be ordering today or tomorrow!

Have a blessed day!!!

How Far Along: 31 Weeks- due date is April 3rd

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 13 lbs

Maternity Clothes: All maternity all the way!!

Gender: Girl  -  Name: Emma Jean

Movement: All the time! :-) But I think mostly she is just trying to get in a better position!

What I miss: Being able to eat stuff without always getting reflux. :-(

Cravings: I wanted watermelon soooo bad on Tuesday night...but alas it's not in season. Instead my wonderful husband made me a berry and peach smoothie and I put it in a martini glass to dress it up! 

Best things about this week: Getting to catch up on my sleep thanks to snowmagedon!! I feel like a real person again and last night I had 2 4 hour blocks of sleep!! And here is what I woke up to yesterday...(Michael was in the other room working from home so his spot was open!)

We also got a visit from Elizabeth Sullivan, her husband Pat and their little girl Aubrey. The best part about the visit was the Gabby and Brinkley did great!! We were worried about Gabby since she is so scared of little people! But look...

Maternity photos were taken on Saturday and we can't wait to see them this next Monday assuming the snow works with us!! And the breast feeding class was great. Unfortunately we didn't get to go to our child birth class due to the weather so they are going to try and put our 4 weeks into 3.

Week 31 has been eventful

Emma is now over 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 lbs!! (it' like carrying around 4 navel oranges!) and she is headed into a growth spurt!!

She can move her head from side to side and she is plumping up to fill out the skin she's had for a while. 

For me it's the same ole same ole...she moves a lot so I don't sleep as much but that is a blessing since her movement means she is doing GREAT! I'm getting braxton hicks contractions every now and then and I could start leaking colostrum or "premilk" now! :-(

Hopefully we will have some pregnancy pictures to show you next week and we will have our 32 week ultrasound to check on Emma's growth! YEA!!!

Be blessed!! And stay warm!

Is that a head I see?!?

How Far Along: 30 Weeks- due date is April 3rd

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 10 lbs

Maternity Clothes: All maternity all the way!!

Gender: Girl  -  Name: Emma Jean

Movement: All the time! :-) She also stretches often and at times Michael can see a strange shape pushing out of my stomach! :-D And new...Braxton Hicks are in full effect.

What I miss: Being able to get in and out of the bath tub easily!

Cravings: Sweets more than savory foods. Here is my fave

Best thing about the last two weeks: There are soooo many...
We got Emma's furniture in and it looks great!!

Lunch with two of my good friends Laura Ladd Poff and Elizabeth Smith!!
Snow day home with Michael and the puppy's
It's been a GREAT two weeks!

Week 29 developments...

Emma Jean now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds like a butternut squash

and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. (none of those things are on my "Yum I can't have enough list") Her bones are soaking up lots of calcium,  which is great since I go through a gallon of milk in 3 days!! Interesting fact: this trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Great news for me...some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage now. :-(  The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout my body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion. Sluggish digestion can cause gas and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation. All the more reason to eat small meals often...but that is easier said than done. The best way to prevent constipation is to  eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise. Done, Done and Done!

So far no hemorrhoids, but I hear they are bound to show up...  Fortunately, they usually clear up in the weeks after giving birth.

Week 30 developments...

Emma's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds like a head of cabbage.

A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in my uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. I guess this explains why we as adults are always talking to babies soooo close up!

I get the joy of feeling more tired. :-( I don't sleep well at night anymore and that makes the days go by sooooo slow! Another fun fac...my ligaments are relaxing now and this relaxation of my ligaments can actually cause my feet to spread permanently, so I may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size. While part of me is hoping this doesn't happen...part of me would be super stoked to get all new shoes! (like we will have any money to spend on me once Emma is here!?!)

Another thing I hoped was in the past were mood swings...but apparently we are having all sorts of repeat guests. The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and hormonal changes can result in a return of these emotional ups and downs.

In family news we had our first real snow day. Here are a few of our fave pictures. This is also the reason that I am again a week late. You would think that since I was off on Thursday and that is the day I normally post it would be a no brainier...but I spent most of the day sleeping! ;-)

This weekend I am going to get Maternity photos taken and I have my breast feeding class...then next week we start our weekly child birthing classes!!! I can't believe that in 69 days I will have a baby to hold!! :->


Be blessed and more to come next week!!

Isaiah 26:3
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."



Third Trimester!!!

How Far Along: 28 Weeks- due date is April 3rd

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 10 lbs by my scale but 8 by the doctors??

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear a couple of regular drapey tops but I am maternity pants all the way!!

Gender: Girl  -  Name: Emma Jean

Movement: All the time! ;-) She moves when I eat, when I try to sleep, when I do my exercising! 

Love the feeling!!

What I miss: Being able to tie my shoes without a little pain...something I really took for granted apparently. :-)

Cravings: Sweets more than savory foods.

Best Moment this week: It was actually when my migraine went away!! I woke up an within no time I go the tunnel vision was there. But with a cave-like bedroom and a snuggly Vizsla I was able to get through it it only 6 hours!!

 

 Yesterday I had my monthly checkup and I only have one more monthly one until I go to every other week. :-) Here is what is happening in my belly this week...

Emma is now weighing in at 2 1/4 pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and is 14.8 inches long from her head to her heels. She is blinking her little eyes which now sport eyelashes.

As for me...I am noticing RLS in full effect!! (Restless Legs Syndrome) Last night I laid in bed for over an hour because my legs didn't want to go to sleep. Michael and I are also going to Baby CPR tonight. I was worried about learning this but the instructor assured me of one thing, "if your baby is not breathing and you panic...she will die so it's better that you know how you might be able to save her than not have ever heard the information."  That is a scenario that I hope never to have to face but if I do knowledge is better than no knowledge!! We also have our child birthing classes on Wednesday nights for the month of Feb. and I have my breastfeeding class set up at the end of this month.

We are still waiting on our furniture...but when it comes in it will look like this

Once we get this in then I think I can really start putting everything together and I can't wait to have her room set up for her! :-) 

That's all I have for now. 

Be blessed!!

1 Peter 5:7

"Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you."

Weeks 26 and 27!! Last week of the 2nd Trimester!! ;-D

How Far Along: 27 Weeks- due date is April 3rd

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 9 lbs
I am noticing that even with not a lot of weight my shoes no longer want to fit! :-(

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear a couple of regular drapey tops but I am maternity pants all the way!! Even got a new snazzy pair of black tennis shoes to wear to work...I have flats but my feet need more support!

Gender: Girl  -  Name: Emma Jean

Movement: All the time! ;-) She moves when I eat, when I try to sleep, when I do my exercising! Love the feeling!!

What I miss: Being able to tie my shoes without a little pain...something I really took for granted apparently. :-)

Cravings: Sweets more than savory foods. But I am finding that anytime I am board...I want to eat.

Best Moment this week:Finding a good sleep bra! It really makes all the difference!!!

So what you missed at 26 weeks...Emma was weighing about one pound and two thirds and 14 inches long! About the length of an English Hothouse Cucumber

She can now hear Michael and I as we talk to each other. As for me I am making plans...we had the house painted and now I am just so ready to get Emma's room together!! Who knew that it took 2 weeks for a truck to travel from New Jersey to NWA. I have gotten our Childbirth class, CPR and my breast feeding class all scheduled!! Can't believe that it's already time to do this!! 

This week Emma is in her last week of the 2nd Trimester!! She is now a whopping 2 pounds  like a head of cauliflower 

and 14 1/2 inches long. This extra length explains why I fell her all over my belly...all the time. :-) She may sleep but I guess it's during the shot times she lets me. I had a really bad night sleeping on Tuesday. I could not go to sleep and if I did I would not get more than 20-30 minutes at a time. However when I did sleep here is a taste of what it was like... 

midgets, 5 lost boys living in a RV in my driveway, going on quests, putting a child in a dog crate and Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's watcher...)I don't know if it was something I ate (or the sad sad loss in the Sugar Bowl) 

but it's not something I look forward to in the future. I think I might be getting too hot while I sleep so I may have to adjust my wardrobe accordingly. Michael's has drill this weekend so Mom is coming up and we will start putting the house back together and putting anything we don't hang back on the walls up in storage! SOOO excited! It's only been two weeks since I saw Mom last but I just love it when I have her all to myself up here. :-D

Well that is all for now...on to the 3rd trimester!!! 

Be blessed!