Two Weeks Old!

Well actually Ms. Elyse is 18 days old, but I haven't had the time to update this blog.  However, now that we have a small fortune in infant swings we finally found one that she loves!  So hence the reason I have time to write today.  

Before I completely forget I should tell her birth story so that one day she'll know all the details.  I went into labor shortly after my 39 week visit with my doctor.  I was on the way home from the appointment when I started having contractions (that was Monday, March 28 at 9am).  They came all day regularly but spaced out probably every 15 to 30 minutes until 6pm that evening.  That's when they kicked in and started coming like clockwork every 7-10 minutes.  They weren't getting more painful, but you could set your watch by them.  Every practice has their criteria of when you can head to the hospital and mine wanted you to call when they were coming by the 5-1-1 rule (every 5 minutes, lasting a minute for an hour).  Well I was there except for the 5 minute rule.  So I made it through Monday night and Tuesday was the same story.  I was pretty exhausted, because I didn't sleep the night before.  Every time one would hit I would wake up.  I called the nurses line a couple times on Tuesday to tell them what was going on and I kept getting the same nurse who said I couldn't come to the hospital until they were coming every 5 minutes.  So I somehow managed to make it to Tuesday evening and by that time they were so painful it took my breathe away.  I called the nurses line again and thankfully got the nurse practitioner on the phone.  I told her how I had been in labor for almost 36 hours and how the contractions were getting stronger but not closer together to get me to the 5 minute rule.  She preceded to tell me their policy is actually if the contractions are coming anywhere from 5-8 minutes apart that I could head to the hospital.  I burst into tears mainly from exhaustion.  I seriously could have killed the other nurse and we might have words if I see her again at my doctor's office.  That means I suffered through about 24 hours of labor that I didn't really have to endure.  So we headed to the hospital on Tuesday night around 9pm.  I was already dilated to 3cm and fully effaced so they admitted me.  Luckily it wasn't super busy that night and I was able to get an epidural within a couple hours or less.  Once I had that going I was finally able to relax.  Guess that's all my body needed because within a couple more hours I was dilated to 10cm and ready to push.  Elyse joined the world on Wednesday, March 30 at 5:36am weighing 7lb 7oz and measuring 20.75 inches long.  Looking back I don't see how I survived.  I missed two full nights of sleep and was so weak by the time I needed to push, but somehow we made it!

So Elyse is now 18 days old and she's just such a sweet baby.  We've had very few really hard days and she's not one to scream and cry ever (knock on wood).  Lack of sleep has been pretty tough since she likes to eat every 2 hours.  Proof of her love of food that is that she had already regained her birth weight by our discharge appt at the pediatrician last week and then for her two week check-up this past Wednesday she had gained a full pound in 10 days. Today was also a day of firsts - we had our first tub bath since her umbilical cord fell off a week ago and we have finally found a swing that she loves!!  She also loves our nightly walks with Luna.  She rarely fusses and we found out last night she really likes it when you jog.  She was having a mini meltdown about a mile from home so my mom and I took off jogging.  She loved it! 

On to the pictures with some of me from my glory days thrown into the mix for all the people questioning Elyse's dark hair.  

Elyse - Just joining the world!

Me and baby girl shortly after birth 

First Family Photo

One of Elyse's first meals  

(ok I know this is probably weird I posted this picture, but whatever you can't see anything)

Elyse - 2 weeks old (we were headed to the doctor)

Robin and Elyse sleeping

Me at 10 days old (all my dark hair fell out by 3 months)

Me and My Dad

Me and My Mom

 My Family (this one is kind of random but it just makes me smile)

 

People tell you that you will never know true love until you've had a child.  It's true.  I couldn't imagine loving anyone more than I love this little girl.  I spend all my time and energy making sure she is content and worrying when she isn't.  I doubt that will ever change so it's going to be a long 50+ years. 

Katherine Elyse's Nursery

So I pretty much finished E's nursery yesterday.  I had this crazy intense drive to just get it completed and cleaned. So although I have a ton going on at work right now I decided I needed a day off to just get it done! I guess my nesting is in full force these days, because at 10pm last night I was vacuuming the entire apartment.  I couldn't go to sleep until it was done.  Very strange.  Not sure if this is a sign that she'll be gracing us with her presence soon.

As you can probably tell there is a bird theme going on in her room.  I'm not sure when my obsession with all things birds started, but I love them! I have a really cute bird pillow for the chair and a monogrammed wall decal with her initials to go above the crib that haven't arrived yet.  Other than that the room is complete. I've gone to far as to wash all her clothes through 3 months, pack a diaper bag and pack a hospital bag.  I think my event planning experience is coming in handy, because considering all the things I have stocked up on I'd say I'm just about prepared for anything motherhood throws at me......well I guess I better not get too confident but I'm pretty prepared for a novice. You'd think I was stocking up on diapers in the event a nuclear war hits and I can't leave the apartment...hah!

Here are the pictures of her room.  You'll notice my goldendoodle Luna posing in a couple of the pics.  I swear the dog thinks that the room is her special place.

 Thanks to my pal, Marcie, for this sweet book!

I'll be 36 weeks on Friday so very close to being considered full term.  I start seeing my doctor weekly starting next week! I'm finally past the point of being terrified and in denial which is obviously a really good thing. I'm just ready for her to get here and get started on this journey.  Oh and I am most ready to go for a run! My Ironman stroller is here and I ready to log some miles. :-)

Miracle of Life

This video was floating around Facebook last week and it's pretty incredible. Thought I would share...

The Miracle Of Life from Catholic Media House on Vimeo.

My Dad

After losing my dad unexpectedly to a heart attack a few weeks ago, I haven't really felt the need to write on this blog anymore.  Honestly he was a big reason I even set up this thing.  I wanted him to be able to feel more connected to my life and he was just so excited about being a granddad that I thought it would be a great way for him to see pictures of the ultrasounds.  I also wanted a way for him to see pictures of E once she arrives.  The fact that my dad and I would email each other and he would visit my blog was a HUGE deal.....bless his heart but he was never really into that sort of technology.  I was so proud that he was actually visiting the blog regularly.  I was told that he was printing off the pictures and carrying them around with him.  It just makes me so sad.  You never realize how much security you feel knowing someone is there for you at the drop of a hat and that was him.  I knew no matter what if I picked up that phone and asked him for help, advice or anything at all he'd do his best to make sure I got whatever it was that I needed.  I recently really looked to him for advice in the relationship arena and it was amazing how good his advice usually was.....it was always very level headed which is what I needed.  Anyway, I picked up the phone last week to call him for some advice and that was definitely a reality check.  It's so hard to imagine that I'll never hear his voice again in my lifetime.  When I think of it like that it's just really too much to bear.

I need to scan a couple photos of him to put on here.  He was such a cutie.  Blonde hair and a handful of signature looks that you could always count on seeing.  Funny thing is I was in AR last week and looking through old photos as I packed up his house and even as a young guy he had those same funny expressions and smile.  Probably the saddest thing I ran across when packing up his place was a map of TX.  He was already planning his drive to TX for when E is born.  I really hope that in heaven you are able to look down and check on your loved ones. I hope he knows how much I already miss him and wish he was going to be there to meet E.  I'll always regret not going home for Christmas this year since he passed away 3 days later.  I thought the flight was just too expensive so I had booked a trip for Jan 6-9, but by that time it was too late.  Never take those you love in your life for granted because you never know how long you really have with them.  He was supposed to live forever or at least that's what he would tell me. :-)

So here's to a really great man - my dad.

Blessings

A good friend of mine from college who I haven't talked to in several years sent me the sweetest email tonight out of the blue. The email reminded me how important it is to not get so caught up in your daily lives and drama that you forget about those around you. It's amazing what reaching out to someone can do for their soul. The message she shared with me had such an impact on me that I had to share it with whomever might stumble upon this blog.  It spoke volumes to me and hope it does for you too. Thanks Emily and hope you don't mind me sharing this message. :-)

Children are a gift and a blessing from the Lord.

We tend to do a few things with blessings:

1. Worship it over the Creator

2. Worry about it (losing it, etc)

Instead we should:

1. Let it point us to Christ

2. Hold it loosely and trust that God is sovereign

What do our fears have in common? Many of them are in our imagination.



Our minds generate countless scenarios of “What if this happens? How will I deal with it?”

Often most of the bad things we imagine never actually come true. But there will be other trials—ones we can never anticipate. 

That’s why Elisabeth Elliot’s wise advice is invaluable in fighting fear: “There is no grace for your imagination.” God does not sprinkle grace over every path our fear takes. He does not rush in with support and encouragement for every scenario we can imagine.



Instead He warns us to stay off those paths. Psalm 37:8 explicitly tells us: “Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” 

There is no grace for our imagination. That’s why our fearful imaginings produce bad fruit: anxiety, lack of joy, futile attempts to control.



However, God does promise sufficient, abundant grace for every real moment of our lives. That’s why the Proverbs 31 woman can “laugh at the future” in contrast with being worried or fearful about it.”

Lately

I realized I haven't posted in a month so thought it was time to give an update.  I'll be 23 weeks this week which is almost 6 months! Hard to believe that I'm that far along. I went for my first doctor's visit today in Austin with my new doctor. Thankfully I loved her! It's nerve racking to change doctors mid stream much less change cities.  I wouldn't recommend moving in the middle of a pregnancy to a new city and I certainly need to find some pregnant girlfriends around here. I did try meetup.com and found a group of girls around my age that are pregnant with their first babies so we have a coffee date next Tuesday night.  I jokingly told my one of my best friends tonight that I feel like I am online dating but for girlfriends. Oh well, you do what you've gotta do!

Anyway I received a glowing report from the doctor today. Ms. Elyse is doing great. I had another ultrasound because my 20 week anatomy scan was performed a week early in Denver so it was ruled as incomplete since there were a few things that they couldn't see.  So I had another scan today and they were able to see almost everything except for the skin along her lower spine. They are looking for any signs of Spina Bifida so I have to wait 6 more weeks to get a final gold star on that scan.  I did have the blood work done months ago to scan for this defect and it was negative so they felt I didn't have much to worry about.  She was just laying in a weird position again so they couldn't get a good look. I also had been having some pains in my lower belly over the past week and at times it was scary, but luckily I learned it's just growing pains. She weighed in at 1lb 4oz which was on the higher end. That was reassuring because I haven't put on much weight which has been nice, but at the same time I've been worried about her.  I also got my belly measured for the first time and I was at 22cm which correlates perfectly to 22/23 weeks along.  That was reassuring too, because I just now have a belly that is slightly noticeable in tighter clothing. She's also super active all the time which is really neat and very bizarre at the same time.  Here's a glamour shot from today. :-)

I have really stocked up on baby gear in the past month too and my poor savings account is starting to suffer. :-)  Just thankful I've been a relatively responsible young adult and I actually having savings for times like these. She finally has a nice selection of every day clothing and even a few really cute smocked dresses for later on.  Her bedding finally arrived and it's so cute.  I'm going to have her room painted this month and the crib should be here any day now. I ended up switching the color of the crib to a venetian darker gold.  I love birds so doing a bird theme in her nursery.  I found the cutest bird mobile and painting that I added to my registry.  I also found these stuffed bird rattles at Pottery Barn kids over the weekend so HAD to get those. I'm putting a twin size bed in there too so having an upholstered headboard made that will be here soon. My nesting is out of control, but I was forewarned that it would get bad around this time.  I'll be sure to post some pictures of her room soon. I hope to have her nursery pretty much complete by the end of December or early January.

Oh and received a wake up call today from my doctor.  She mentioned that in four more weeks I will enter my third and FINAL trimester.  After one more doctor's visit at the end of Dec, I begin going every two weeks until she is here.  That stresses me out just typing that sentence...hah!

Baby Gear!

Well I finally made my first baby gear purchases on Sunday! I found an iron crib by Bratt Decor and a discount code floating around the internet so I got the crib for a really good deal compared to other sites.  I definitely could have found a cheaper crib elsewhere, but I fell in love with this one. Since it's my first baby I think I deserve to get a few really nice things for Elyse.  I also cleaned out my storage unit on Saturday and I have all this beautiful antique furniture that I can use in the room so all I needed to buy was a crib! The crib has an antique feel too so all the pieces should mesh well together.

I also bought her bedding! I ordered the Kate bedding by Serena and Lily first from www.laylagrayce.com (super cute website for women and kids - beware!), but then second guessed my choice on Monday and switched my order to a different bedding set. After some much needed help from several of my girlfriends we decided the stark white in the Kate bedding might clash a bit with the cream iron crib. 

Lastly, I ordered a diaper bag.  I originally want a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag, but I opted with a cheaper choice on this website.  It was half the price of the Petunia bag and I really liked the style of it better so see I am making some reasonable choices!  I swear baby gear is just like the wedding industry - a total rip off!  They know as women we have hard time resisting all the cute clothes, bedding and gear.  It's not fair!

I probably haven't mentioned the big move to Austin is this weekend.  We are packing up the truck on Friday and starting our adventure down to TX bright and early on Saturday.  I'm really going to miss Denver and all the great things about this city. I'm especially going to miss all my friends, but the move isn't permanent and we will be back in about 18 months.

Here are some pics of KET's gear that is on it's way to TX!

Bratt Decor Venetian Iron Crib (without 4 posters)

Annette Tatum Brocade Peony Bedding Set

Glimpse Inside the Crib

Bedding Patterns

Skip Hop Diaper Bag

So far that's all the gear I've purchased, but much more is on the list. I did get my first gift last night. My St. Jude girls surprised me last night with a going away get-together and Marianna bought me the cutest pink bunny newborn booties along with a cuddle duck for the crib. I'm really going to miss those girls while we are gone!