2 Months!

I can't believe it's already past two months. I pushed off updating the blog because her doctor's appointment was later this time around. At 10 weeks, she weight 10 pounds, 7 ounces (35% I believe) and was 24 1/2 inches (80% I believe). My little girl is growing up...It's crazy that outfits that used to be loose on her now fit her perfectly or things that fit her perfectly now just don't work. We're doing a lot better with everything baby-related going on. She finally started sleeping through the night (still only five to six hours at a time), but I'll take what I can get. She still sleeps quite a bit and naps for about twenty minutes every hour and a half. She's just starting to push it to every two hours but that's still hit or miss. She is starting to eat every two to three hours rather than every hour and a half which is really nice. She's also eating more for the most part. Overall, I'd say we're starting to learn to be better parents and figuring things out more and more.

We had her baptism this month which was a huge step for me but a nice thing we did and got some really good family photos. I have every intention of writing a blog entry about it but we all know I've slowed down my blogging because with S's schedule, I just don't have the time. I'm hoping to get back into it more once she starts sleeping longer stretches. She also rolled for the first time from her stomach to her back which completely blew me away! She did it twice in one day and then didn't do it again until last night. I'd put her on her stomach and two seconds later, she would roll over. The nice thing is that her daddy finally got to see her do it! We've been so stressed out lately between taxes, a wedding in April, and his job problems that it was a nice reminder to stop and appreciate the little things and each little step she makes.

We also had her first Valentine's day (which we bought this adorable outfit for). We gave her a cute little puppy stuffed animal -- nothing major. I don't know that that will ever change though. I've never been big into V-Day because I believe in telling people you love them every day. However, I do love making her monthly shots themed with the holiday stuff. I'm really looking forward to Easter coming up. We ordered a special basket liner and we bought her stuff for for the basket. I've never been big on the holidays because I didn't have much to celebrate in a way. However, now I'm looking forward to making the day special for her but special for us as well. Making some new memories for all of us that we'll remember forever. I will try to update the three month info sooner than I did the two month, and also the baptism update. I really want to find time to blog more because I really do miss it -- it's such a therapeutic process for me. I'm also hoping to revamp the whole layout too, but until next time! :)

1 Month Old!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Adjusting to motherhood has left me with very little time. My days are now measured in feedings, changes, and sleep and with that, the day goes by much faster than I could have thought. I finish one feeding and feel like five minutes later I'm doing another! With that being said, I'm loving mommyhood and being this little one's momma. The first few weeks were really rough. I didn't really want to see anyone and I barely talked to anyone either. I really just wanted to focus on me and baby, sleep when I could, and learn how to adjust to life with me and baby together. I have a great support team, but I needed to basically relearn how to be independent. I think I also got a case of the baby blues which contributed to these feelings as well. So here we are at almost six weeks and I'm feeling pretty darn good!

We have adjusted to sleeping less and interrupted. I have also began learning how to do things around the house like dishes and feeding Lila while toting around a little one. Our saving grace is the swing! She absolutely LOVES the swing which makes it a little easier to get things done around the house. We have also introduced bottles. After about three weeks of exclusively breastfeeding, I was starting to resent basically everything because I felt so much pressure. I felt guilt when I wasn't sleeping, when S wasn't sleeping and had to get up for work. I was feeling guilty because I wasn't absolutely loving breastfeeding. I realized that I needed help. So, the solution became giving her a bottle of formula. At first it was once a day, and now it has become every other feeding. She was eating every hour and a half (we're now pushing it to two hours) and it was just rough to have her all day and then all night because I didn't want to ask for help so S could sleep. I know that seems like a while but when it would take 30 to 45 minutes to get her to eat to being content, it seemed like she was always wanting to eat. Needless to say, I learned pretty quick that the outlook I had was NOT going to work. I had heard everyone advise me to listen to my gut and that I had to do what was best for my family. I felt a tremendous amount of guilt because everywhere you go, it's preached that "breast is best" and I was feeling like I was a bad mom because I just couldn't do it all the time. Now, looking back, I'm SO glad that I listened to my gut and that we are doing what is best for our family!

We went to the pediatrician yesterday and baby girl is now weighing almost nine pounds (8 pounds and 14 ounces). She had to get her second Hep B shot and did pretty good. She was cranky for about 24 hours but no other real reactions (thank goodness!). The pediatrician was asking questions and when I'd answer, she'd make a comment about how smart I am and how attentive I am. You have NO idea how reassuring that can be. It's always nice to hear that I am doing a good job when I am feeling stressed out. Anyways, I am going to try to post more but who knows what will happen. Now we are working on sleeping longer shifts, especially at night, and pushing her feedings to every twoish hours. I can't believe how fast the time is flying. It's so hard to believe she's been here this long already!

Maddie's Birth Story!

So for those who follow the blog but aren't on my Facebook, little Thumper has made her appearance into the world! She was born December 19th at 9:24 p.m. weighing in at 7 pounds, 13.2 ounces and 19 inches long. It was a long process, but incredibly worth it in the end.

Tuesday the 18th, I had a doctor's appointment where I was still only about a centimeter dilated so I allowed them to sweep my membranes in hopes that it would maybe get things moving. Hubby and I had a busy day running around and picking last minute things up, getting our dog groomed, going to the doctor, and switching our cable to a new system. Around 5:30 or so that night, I really just started to not feel great and laid down. No contractions or anything, just a blah yucky feeling. After dinner, we decided to go for a drive and then ended up at S's parent's house for a little while. We came home and around 10:30ish, I started to have some contractions. Now granted, I was not convinced that sweeping my membranes was going to work so I didn't think anything of the pain but I'd squeeze S's leg every time I had one so he started to time them. After he'd been timing them for about an hour, I decided I should take a shower. If I was going to go to the hospital, I wanted to feel clean. So while hubby was running around throwing last minute things into the hospital bag, I was straightening my hair -- diva, I know! I called the doctor on call and told him what I was experiencing and he told me to go ahead and come in to get checked.

Around 1 a.m., we got to the hospital and I was still only like 1-2 cm dilated, but was having painful contractions (a LOT of back labor) every 5 to 7 minutes. They told me they wanted me to walk around the labor and delivery floor for an hour and drink some water to see if I was just dehydrated/if there would be any progress. Hubby at this point started to not feel great so he sat downstairs while my sister and I walked, and walked, and walked in circles for the hour. When all was said and done, they checked me again and I was still 1-2 cm dilated, but I had thinned out even more. Contractions were still coming so they went ahead and admitted me and gave me the option to get some medication to help with the pain.

So once I got into a room, Hubby came up and joined us and so began the uber long waiting game! I progressed extremely slowly which led to me getting the epidural by like 8 a.m. I have to say, it was not as bad as I expected it to be given how much I hate needles (thank you to my AMAZING anesthesiologist who I don't think could have been more caring and nurturing and comforting). My OB was a little bit concerned because my heart rate really jumped, higher than the baby's at one point, and usually the epidural has the opposite affect. However, I was able to calm down and everything turned out to be alright.

Jumping ahead a few hours and some more pain, doctor came in and checked me and I was 7 cm dilated. Then she was headed into an emergency surgery thinking that she'd be back in time to deliver my baby. Guess what? Not so much. I could feel the pressure and definitely knew when it was time to start pushing. The nurse didn't want to believe me (she had two patients at a 7 so she was juggling where to be). Finally, when they could see her head she realized I was not kidding about how close this kid was to coming out! So they paged the hospital doctor and she came in to deliver little Ms. Madelyn. Luckily, she came out in only three pushes and my world was changed forever. For being such a slow process throughout the day, once I started pushing everything happened so fast. They immediately put the baby on my chest so we could bond and Hubby came over and it was just an amazing, beautiful moment. Our family of two became a family of three and we couldn't be happier! It warms my heart how much she has wiggled her way into the family's hearts already and we are looking forward to watching her grow...I'll post another update soon with pictures of her :)

38 Weeks

38 Weeks & 3 Days

Sorry I'm a little late updating with this week's post. After the tragedy of Friday's events, I've spent some extra time rubbing my belly and cleaning my house like crazy. We spent this week trying to figure out ways to get her to come out (knowing full well that she won't decide to come until she is good and ready). Hubby made a special eggplant parmesan, I've been walking like crazy, I kept sitting so I was on all fours and just rocking my hips.....so far, nada! Oh well, she is stubborn just like her mama!

This week's doctors appointment went well...I was about a centimeter dilated. Not that it really means anything, but it's at least a little progress from the week before. I've been having a lot more Braxton Hicks and even a few real contractions. You can definitely tell that she has now dropped....the shape of my stomach has really changed. All good things leading to the end I suppose! I can't believe we're now down to single digits either....it is so crazy to think of how soon she will be here!

All About Baby -- Development is just about complete and she is shedding that vernix and lanugo. She is also producing more surfactant which will prevent air sacs in the lungs from sticking together once she starts breathing air on the outside. Finally, she's still packing on that fat and rounding herself out!

How Momma is Feeling -- I've had a major burst of energy the past few days. Aside from a load of whites and sweeping/mopping my kitchen floor, I have literally cleaned every inch of this house. Things I've been putting off for months have finally gotten done. Organization has been wonderful and projects are now completed. She needs to make her way into this world soon or I'm going to take to scrubbing the walls! Other than that, I'm still having a rough time sleeping but at least I'm getting used to it.

Cravings -- Well I went to the grocery store yesterday and decided that chocolate sounded amazing. So, I bought fudge brownies, chocolate pudding...I've wanted chocolate chip cookies. I don't know if it's a craving or it just sounds yummy, but hey!

Highlight of the Week -- My sister had very early on decided that she wanted to buy the coming home outfit for our sweet baby girl and we got it in the mail this week....SO adorable! She certainly is going to be dressed in style!

Most Looking Forward To -- Aside from meeting our little one, I'm looking forward to a Christmas celebration with my nieces and nephews. I sit here staring at these gifts under our tree and it just makes me smile. I've never had a Christmas with all of them so getting to experience the holidays with my siblings and their children just make this year a little bit more special. Now if only baby girl would come early enough, she'd get to meet her cousins before they had to go home!

37 Weeks!

37 Weeks & 3 Days

Tick tock, tick tock! Time is certainly flying by. I look back at this past year and just don't know where the time has gone. It's so hard to believe that my due date is in three weeks. I guess it helps that people say time drags as you continue into the third trimester, but we have all the excitement and busyness of the holidays to distract us. Not to mention, this glaring little Christmas countdown in my house makes it really obvious how much longer we have until the due date!

This week's doctor's appointment was awfully uneventful which is always nice at this point. Did the usual and everything is all good and perfect still. Baby girl is measuring at exactly 37 weeks which according to the doctor means I hopefully won't be having a ten pound baby -- Woo hoo! Also, my Strep B culture came back negative so it's one less thing I have to worry about when it comes to labor time! No internal exam this week, but they'll do them starting next week and until the end. We also asked questions about induction because I want to know the latest we'll have this little Christmas gift and she said definitely before 42 weeks, so that made me feel a little better. I am definitely starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and Hubby and I are getting awfully anxious to meet our little girl!

All About Baby -- She's still gaining about a half a pound per week! She is inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid to get her lungs ready to breathe, sucking her thumb to prepare for sucking reflexes outside of the womb, blinking, and most definitely turning from side to side!

How Momma is Feeling -- As I've been putting it, I'm starting to move into that more uncomfortable state. I actually cried the other night because of pain in my upper and lower back, hip joints feeling achy, horrible heartburn, and then standing up to have a shooting pain go down my butt into my leg...it was terrible! Luckily, I've been able to get a few good night's sleep so that I think has helped a lot. I've also started walking more and moving around to try and help get this little girl out so by the end of the day, I'm pretty tired! Oh, and I've definitely started to have some Braxton Hicks contractions!!

Cravings -- I wouldn't call it a craving, but I've been living off of honeycrisp apples and caramel! So incredibly delicious!

Highlight of the Week -- S and I were able to have a date night the other night where we rented The Avengers, made some popcorn, and just laid in bed with our puppy to enjoy each other's company. I love when he is able to take some time off of work and we can focus on us rather than all the craziness that is about to ensue!

Most Looking Forward to -- Meeting our baby girl! I want her here healthy, happy, and safe but I really wish she'd make her appearance already (as does Hubby, which is adorable to watch). I think we've just realized how nice it would be to have her here for Christmas! Not to mention, Hubby's work schedule is a little nuts the next month so the sooner, the better in that regard. Furthermore, I've now finished packing her bag and stuff for S, and there's only a few more things I need to throw into the hospital bag for myself....so we're getting there! Hear that little one? I'm serving you your eviction notice! :)

36 Weeks!

36 Weeks & 1 Day

We have officially moved into the month that my daughter will be born in....that is so incredibly crazy and weird to say. I'm starting to get really anxious to meet her and thinking about the actual giving birth part. I think I've been in a little bit of denial and thinking she is definitely going to come late. In turn, it means that I keep putting off thinking about these little details. I finally feel like we're as ready as we're going to be for her to come home though so I guess that's good. This week we got the car seat installed, her stuff is basically almost packed, the co-sleeper sheets are washed, the monitor Hubby wanted is set up in the nursery, etc. All these little things are all falling together and now all we need is her!

Doctor's appointment this week was pretty uneventful, which I'm grateful for after the last appointment. I had my Group B Strep test done and will get the results at next week's appointment. Baby girl's heartbeat was at 158 beats per minute; perfectly normal and happy! Doctor is still perfectly happy with my weight gain. Not that it means much, but no changes in the cervix yet either. He did say he could feel her dropping down though, so I guess that's good. The only hiccup was that my blood pressure was 143/90 which is pretty high. By the end of the appointment, he retook it using a manual cuff and it came down to like 110/70. Needless to say, he made a note in my chart to just take it with a manual cuff from now on since the electric tends to give a higher reading for some odd reason.

All About Baby -- Most of her systems are now in working order and if she were born today, she'd most likely even be able to breathe on her own! Blood circulation has been perfected and her immune system is developed enough to protect her outside of the womb. However, seeing as how she has been receiving all her nutrients through the umbilical cord, her digestive system won't be fully operational until she decides to make her debut!

How Momma is Feeling -- As much as I love being pregnant and feeling all the amazing joys that it brings, I'm nearing that point of wanting to be done. My back is in constant pain and now my hip joints have started in. Other than those two things, I've felt really great. Granted, I don't have the energy I once did and I'm learning to pace myself so I think that helps.

Cravings -- I don't think I had any this week. I REALLY want a Boston Creme doughnut from Dunkin Donuts but I don't know that it's a real pregnancy craving or if one just sounds delicious!

Highlight of the Week -- I guess just getting that feeling that we're ready for our baby girl to come home. Having the car seat installed and getting things together for the hospital bag (which I'm determined to actually pack this week) and all of that just makes everything seem so more real. We ran into someone who was on the hospital tour with us and they were due on Christmas Eve but the baby decided to come on Thanksgiving instead. It was just a moment of real clarity that this could happen any time now which is an amazing feeling to have.

Most Looking Forward to -- At this point, I really think it's just meeting her! It makes me smile so much to think that in just a few short weeks, I could be holding this beautiful little baby girl and our lives will be forever changed for the better!

35 Weeks!

35 Weeks & 2 Days

My favorite week of the year finally arrived! I absolutely love Thanksgiving; I always have. It's not about gifts or what someone can do for you....it's a day to reflect and be thankful for everything that we have, to surround ourselves with friends and family, and to eat plenty of good food! We spent the morning with Hubby's parents and brother and then headed over and spent the evening with my siblings, nieces and nephews, and close family friends. It was a beautiful reminder of what the holidays really are all about! Not to mention, this year we obviously have a little extra gift to be thankful for which really made the holiday that much more special to us.

This week has been pretty low key preparing for the holiday and trying to take it easy after last week's appointment. Hubby had off the day after Thanksgiving so we did spend some time getting our to-do list items crossed off and putting up our Christmas tree and decorations. He LOVES Christmas so it makes him happy to have everything up, especially his train set -- it's pretty adorable. I really wanted heavy duty things done like scrubbing the fridge and microwave, so he set up Christmas stuff and I cleaned hardcore. Now my house just makes me smile and I feel as prepared as I'm going to be to have our little chickie come home!

All About Baby -- I feel like she is growing like crazy in these past few weeks (which, thank goodness for!). Just looking at this picture compared to last week and I see a huge popping difference! She's around twenty inches and weighing around five and a half pounds. At this point, she probably won't get much longer but she will continue to gain weight each week!

How Momma is Feeling -- I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed. I'm one of those people who likes to have things done in preparation and when it's easier to get done. For example, looking into baptism information. Yes, I could wait until after she is born...but why wait when it can be done now? So I've been keeping a to-do list and slowly keep crossing things off. We finally got everything washed and put away in the nursery which was a huge lift off my shoulders. I also compiled a list last night of things to pack in the hospital bag....not that I've actually put it together yet!

Thanksgiving 2012

Cravings -- Nothing this week! Those turkey dinners tasted far too good to crave anything else!

Highlight of the Week -- Thanksgiving, duh! I just feel so blessed this year that it would be hard not to be grateful. There were definitely some pretty big bumps in the road to deal with but I have this little angel growing inside me, an incredibly amazing and supportive husband, and the most wonderful family and friends I could ever ask for. I'm healthy, I'm happy, and I'm blessed. What more could I ask for?

Most Looking Forward To -- Definitely our appointment on Tuesday. I could use a little reassurance that little Thumper is still doing okay and that, fingers crossed, my blood pressure and her heart rate has come down from our last appointment!