One month old, and a ton of pictures!

I can't believe my baby is a month old today! She's such a good baby, and has pretty much everyone wrapped around her fingers. She's recently started trying to "talk" to us, and it's so sweet to hear her little voice. She's still eating and sleeping well, but will make her opinion known if she has to! I'm already starting to forget what life was like before she was here, and I'm really not looking forward to going back to work in two weeks. 

Cadence is adjusting well, and will probably have a time getting up tomorrow morning. After spending a week off schedule, the next few days should be a blast for all of us! Sarah is coming up tomorrow to take her to see Tangled, then to see Santa, so at least I have an incentive to get her out of bed in the morning.

I took some pictures of Cadence and Amelia in their matching Christmas pjs, and my mom wanted some family pictures for her Christmas cards. Both photo shoots were spur of the moment, but I think they turned out pretty good! The last picture is a bonus of all the girls in the family. Poor Mike, he's the only guy when we go out with my mom, surrounded by 6 of us!

Cadence:





Amelia:




Both girls:





This is Cadence's favorite

My mom and her family:


First picture of all four of us together:


All the girls:


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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Amelia
2) Cadence
3) The last month with my two girls
4) PaPaw being at Thanksgiving
5) Christmas is on it's way!

Please forgive me...

I know my new baby is 3.5 weeks old, and I haven't posted anything about her yet, but in my defense, this whole "having a newborn" thing is taking up WAY more time than I thought it would!! ;) I've also been told that some people have been worried, and I truly appreciate the concern. This is going to take a few posts to get through everything, but I'll start with the birth announcement:

Amelia Claire is here!

This is copied from a board I visit, so excuse any present tense. ;)
Short version: I finally got in a room about 8:30 Wednesday night, and they started the Cervidil, after about an hour, contractions were painful and hard, so they removed it and gave me Staydol. I labored like that until about 7ish when they started pitocin (still a 2), then at 9 they broke my water (4-5 by then.) At 10 they checked me and I was a six and asking for the epidural. They got it in about 10:45 (still a 6 when they started it), laid me down, and I started pushing. She was here at 11:02 am. It happened so fast that my doctor wasn't able to deliver her, and his partner had to instead. She weighed 6 lbs 14 oz, is 20 1/4 inches long, and has a head full of hair, just like Cadence.

Long version: After my appointment Wednesday, they told me to be back at the hospital at 6 pm to start Cervidil. They were swamped, so it was about 8:30 before I was in my room. Around 9:30 they started the cervidil, and by 10:15 the contractions were really strong and I had dilated enough to remove it and get Staydol. I called my mom to come stay with me, and she arrived about 11. When she arrived, I was at 2, and they let me labor on my own all night (and Staydol is my friend!) Around 7 the next morning, they came to give me an enema and started pitocin, and I was still a 2. At nine my doctor came in to break my water, and I was a 4-5 by that time. They told me they would check me again at 11, but by 10ish I was hurting and asked for the epidural. They checked me before the epidural (about 10:30) and I was a 6. By 10:45 when they laid me down after the epidural, she was coming and coming fast. I had to wait through two contractions before they would let me push, because my doctor wasn't there yet and they didn't have anything ready. I think I pushed through 3 or 4 contractions, and she arrived at 11:02. My doctor wasn't able to make it since it happened so fast, and his partner (who I met for the first time when she walked in) delivered 3 other babies besides Amelia during an hours time.

She looked great, and weighed in at 6 lbs, 14 oz. She's 20 1/4 inches long, and has the longest feet and biggest hands I've ever seen. We are all completely infatuated, and she's a good nurser so far - when she actually nurses. She's still really sleepy, so she has spent most of her time as a baby burrito and asleep. She's a great baby, and I hope to get her home today!

And what I know you're here for - pictures!

Birthday party and Big Sister Day!

We had Cadence's birthday party last weekend (3 weeks early!) so that we wouldn't have to worry about a baby arriving in the middle of it (and unfortunately, she didn't.) She had a blast, got a ton of sparkly, girly things, and has now decided that she needs more presents on Nov. 2, when it's really her birthday. I haven't convinced her yet that it probably won't happen. ;)

Cousin Clayton, who got a little carried away with the chocolate icing.


One of her favorite gifts. It was a messenger bag that she could color herself.

My awesome friend, Angel, also took her out this past Saturday for Big Sister Day. They let her dress up in her new Tiana dress and wear makeup and everything, and took her out for about 2 hours and pampered her. They wore feather covered tiaras, had ice cream at Baskin Robbins, happy meals from McDonald's and then a makeup shopping trip to Sephora, where she came home with pink lip gloss, cotton candy perfume and sparkly makeup on her. They also gave her a Big Sister present - a really cool sock monkey for her, and a smaller one for her to give to Amelia. I'm so very thankful to them for thinking of her and trying to make her feel special as well. I couldn't ask for better friends.

Ready to go


First stop, ICE CREAM!






Now, MAKEUP!!!


Aren't we pretty??


And last, HAPPY MEALS! And french fry vampire teeth!


With the Sock Monkeys

37 Weeks - We have Swiss Chard!

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Woo Hoo!! Full Term!! I had my appointment yesterday, and there’s no change from last week. I’m still having contractions that aren’t regular, blood pressure is good, I’ve gained 19 lbs, and her heart rate is good. Because of all of that (which really is good news) they won’t induce yet and want me to come back next week. I was told that since it’s my second, I could possibly just go into labor, but if not, they’ll see me on Wednesday. We have a ton of things scheduled for this weekend, along with the fact that it’s a full moon on Saturday. I have a feeling she’ll be here soon, but I could be wrong. Right now we’re just waiting!

36 Weeks - We have a Crenshaw Melon! (and the epic hospital stay)

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

I'm really not sure how many more of these I'll be posting after my visit yesterday. At 36 weeks, I was told that she's head down and ready, and I'm "really soft." They also said that if they wanted to push for labor now, I wouldn't have any problems having her. However, I'm only 36 weeks, she is doing fine, my blood pressure and everything is fine, and I'm not having any complications, so they are going to let me wait it out. I am having contractions, but they are sporadic and go away pretty easily. I was told that if I couldn't get them to go away or if my water breaks, call immediately. Otherwise, they'll see me at 37 weeks (next Thursday) and we'll probably schedule an induction. It's looking more and more like I'm going to have an October baby instead of a November baby!

About 2 weeks ago I ended up being admitted to the hospital, hence the reason no updates have been posted lately. That Monday I left work early because I was sick, and I hadn't been able to keep anything down since about 2:30 that afternoon. That lasted all night, I went to bed with a massive headache, and woke Tuesday morning still feeling awful. I arrived at the doctor's office, still not able to hold anything (including water) down, and they sent me over to the hospital to be admitted. Over the next 4 days they gave me 7 bags of fluids, plus I was seen by a neurologist, had a CT scan, an MRI and ultrasounds of my head and neck. They still aren't exactly sure what is causing the headaches (all the test came back normal), but their best guess is that it's a combination of the weather and hormones. I'm extremely grateful that it's nothing major, but it's frustrating to be told that the pain I have been dealing with since 27 weeks is all hormones and probably won't go away completely until she arrives.

I'm thinking some of it is still sinus, because the past few days I've been better. Also, Benadryl seems to help. I asked Kim, and she said it's fine to take, especially if it's helping. I'm still not sleeping much, and we have a birthday party for Cadence this weekend. Every time I start moving too much, contractions start, so I'm worried about how this weekend is going to go. At least I know that she's fine, and they are ok with her coming early. 

I had an ultrasound last week, and was told that she's probably 6+ lbs already (which I know can be off by as much as a pound, but that's pretty close to Cadence's size at this age), she has long legs, and a head full of hair. I can't wait to meet her, and Cadence is even more anxious. I think she's expecting for her Daddy to have to get her every afternoon, and is almost disappointed when I show up and I'm still pregnant! Hopefully soon he can be getting her and taking her to the hospital to meet her new sister!

33 Weeks - We have a Pineapple!

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

33 weeks, and still battling the sinus crud. This makes, what? 6 weeks now? Yeah, way too long! I started Zyrtec this morning, so maybe that and the (hopefully!) rain this weekend will fix it once and for all.

Work gave me a shower today, and it was so nice!! We got a ton of pretty things, a ton of Target gift cards, and a ton of stuff that Cadence is going to love. I can’t wait to get home and go through it all! I think the biggest hits (at least with the guests) were the Boon Grass Drying Rack and the Boon Frog Pod for the bathtub. They were both things that I LOVED, but wouldn’t have bought for myself. I’m so glad that I got them!

Here are a few pictures from today, and I’ll post more when I get them.

32 Weeks - We have a Large Jicama!

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Well, I’m still here, still pregnant, and getting more miserable by the day. The sinus crud won’t go away, Amelia is all out in front so it’s making my back, neck and hips hurt, and I’m not sleeping. I also can’t eat anything, because EVERYTHING gives me heartburn, and because of where she’s sitting, I constantly feel like I’m going to throw up if I eat anything. I just keep telling myself “8 more weeks. Just 8 more weeks!”

I have a doctor’s appointment today, and then at 34 weeks I’ll get another ultrasound. Hopefully the visit will be uneventful and over quickly! And I had a prenatal massage on Tuesday, and highly recommend it to everyone who is pregnant! Best. Feeling. Ever!

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Things I’m thankful for:

1) That she’s still in. Being miserable is better than a preemie.

2) Sleep

3) Tylenol PM

4) Cadence being such a big helper around the house

5) Prenatal massages